{"id":7953,"date":"2025-11-25T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=7953"},"modified":"2025-11-28T10:44:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T15:44:45","slug":"205-its-become-an-obsession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/205-its-become-an-obsession\/","title":{"rendered":"#205\u2014It\u2019s Become an Obsession"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Professor Google defines \u201cobsession,\u201d as \u201can idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yep\u2014no doubt, that\u2019s what this project has become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m talking about my new book project \u2026 the one about 48 men from Alachua County, Florida who died while in service during the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The working title is: The \u2018Nam \u201cAC-48\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first learned about these men while attending this past year\u2019s (2025) Memorial Day service held at the Forest Meadows Cemetery by the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America. I\u2019d heard about the poster that the president, Forest Hope, had created, helping to memorialize these men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But this \u2026 this was the first time I\u2019d seen the two posters. It made an impact on me. These men were from my<\/em> town and surrounding areas, went to the same<\/em> high schools as my generation did, and then went off to a war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting faces to names was \u2026 well, very moving, to say the least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, seeing this poster of men made me think of creating a small booklet. Something simple and tangible that could be handed out to those who might have an interest in learning more about the men from Alachua County who died during the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Forest so eloquently stated, \u201cTo keep the memories alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And So, My Journey Began<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t know any of them \u2026 but I can tell you after working on this project, they\u2019ve definitely made an impact on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My original idea was to simply reprint the basic photos and info from the poster for each man… and maybe<\/em> add a few additional items I may find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve written several books, self-published a few of them, so I knew the routine and methodology. This project should only take a few<\/em> months \u2026 right!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, I began my research. Did I mention I love the research as much as the writing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Research<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Did I mention I\u2019d been researching WWII soldiers for 20+ years, built the 80th Division Veterans Association<\/strong> website (www.80thdivision.com<\/a>), and added 200,000+ pages of information, including Morning Reports (July 1942\u2013May 1945), After-Action Reports, Unit Histories, Miscellaneous Reports, Oral Histories, and Photo Collections?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I continue to do so as we speak. I\u2019ve probably researched more than 500 men for families of 80th Division WWII (and WWI) veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two reasons: because my dad, A. Z. Adkins, Jr.<\/strong>, served with the 80th Division (317th Infantry Regiment, Company H, 2d Battalion) AND because I can. I began this website project while working at the UF Levin College of Law<\/strong> in 2005. I was the IT Director at the time and had access to a computer with a microfiche reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an obsession, but it\u2019s also a passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I\u2019ve got a little<\/em> research experience. But this project\u2014this Vietnam War<\/strong> project\u2014is a bit beyond my WWII prior research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Different Kind of Research<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For this Vietnam project, I tackled my usual sites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n