Andy Adkins, Author

A Veteran's Journey - Volume 1
A Collection of Short Stories (2019-2020)

Published by: Andy Adkins
Release date: April 2021
Format: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 293
ISBN: 978-1-7363878-2-5 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-7363878-3-2 (Digital Edition)

Buy the Book: Amazon
FREE for Veterans [click here]

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OVERVIEW

> USS Kitty Hawk

"A Veteran's Journey" is a weekly blog that I began Veteran's Day 2019, before the pandemic. Little did I know what a wonderful journey this blog would become. Not only do I recall and write about many of my Navy experiences, but I can also reach out to other military veterans. Reconnecting with old shipmates and watching other shipmates reconnect with those they hadn't seen nor heard from in years is truly rewarding.

I've written several military books over the years. My first was my dad's experiences during World War II (You Can't Get Much Closer Than This: Combat with the 80th 'Blue Ridge" Division World War II Europe); my second was my experiences in the Navy (Three Years, Eleven Months, & 29 Days: But Who's Counting). My third book is my first novel, NEVER FORGET. It's the story of a Vietnam veteran's journey for re-demption and forgiveness. Since I'd written about WWII and the Vietnam War era, I wanted to write a book that covered the period after the war, when a son returns home to a different life.

NEVER FORGET is not about combat; it is about overcoming personal conflicts caused by a war. The story reflects upon our current society of an older generation (WWII), aging baby boomers (Vietnam), and the current generation (global terrorism). It brings together multiple facets of dementia & Alzheimer's and PTSD & Survivor's Guilt in a moving, character-driven story of personal struggles and growing relationships.

"A Veteran's Journey" blog is a way for me to continue writing every week... to continue to explore new ways of conveying my experiences--journeys--through life and through my careers. This book represents some of my short stories (i.e. "journeys") in the military, both my time in the Navy and my father's time in the Army during World War II.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(1) Beginning a New Journey...
(2) Following My Father's WWII Path
(3) Between a Rock and a Hard Place
(4) From Civilian to US Navy
(5) My Current "Journey" A Novel Yet to be Published...
(6) Military Lingo
(7) My World War II "Journey"
(8) My Dad's "Journey:" Battle of the Bulge, Christmas 1944
(9) A Veteran's Christmas
(10) You Light 'em, We Fight 'em
(11) Does Anyone Write Letters Anymore?
(12) Writing Your Own Memoir, Part 1
(13) After 30+ Years, Back on the Flight Deck, Part 2
(14) Publishing Your Memoir, Part 3
(15) Tattoo-Yes... or No
(16) WWII-75 Years Ago... Crossing into the Siegfried Line
(17) From Sailor to Civilian
(18) Things to Say During My Exit Interview
(19) The 3-Minute Navy Shower: A Luxury, Compared to...
(20) Port Call: Philippines
(21) Reveille... and Other "Alarm Clocks" Over the Years
(22) The Go-Go, Slow-Go, and No-Go Years
(23) Rough Seas: The Sea of Japan
(24) Hurry Up & Wait!
(25) "Livin' the Dream" Life Aboard an Aircraft Carrier
(26) That Adrenaline Rush
(27) Time-honored Navy Traditions
(28) 75 Years Ago: The End of WWII in Europe
(29) May 8, 1945: "Ours is a Quiet Celebration"
(30) USS Kitty Hawk @ Bremerton Shipyards, Part 1
(31) USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63 Decommission
(32) Memorial Day-2020
(33) Launch the Alert 5!
(34) No Better Place to Die
(35) US Navy "A" School
(36) Gone in an Instant
(37) Hawaii, One Word: Beautiful!
(38) Hook, Line, & Sinker
(39) Good Mornin' to ya, Kitty Hawk!
(40) Midrats... and other Navy Chow
(41) Haze Gray and Underway!
(42) The Shipyards, Part 2
(43) Port Call: Hong Kong
(44) When Life Hands You Lemons...
(45) WWII Baptism by Fire, 76 Years Ago
(46) The "Oh Crap" Bag... What in Yours?
(47) Memorable "Moments," Part 1: The Flight Deck
(48) Not Just Another House Fire
(49) Westpac '75: After Six Months, We're Coming Home
(50) Where Has the Time Gone? It's all Relative...

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ANDY ADKINS