ANDY ADKINS
US Navy Veteran... City Firefighter... Engineer... Consultant... Author
"Life is a journey, one step followed by another..."
NOW AVAILABLE!
I'm pleased to announce that my new book, The 'Nam "AC-48", is published and available on Amazon. It's a tribute to the 48 servicemen from Alachua County, Florida who died in the line of service during the Vietnam War.
Much has been written about the Vietnam War, but The 'Nam "AC-48" is unique. This is a personal look ... beyond the numbers. I didn't want to stop at the 58,266 names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall or even the 1,567 still listed as Missing in Action.
I wanted to present a more personal side - the individual.
Forty-eight young men with ties to Alachua County, Florida lost their lives in Vietnam. This book is about them. These men volunteered or were drafted - it makes no difference. They answered the call from their Country. To them, it was the patriotic thing.
"God, Family, Country."
Patriotism has been described as love and duty to your Country. But as you read some of these stories, you will understand it is also the love and duty to their comrades ... members of their unit.
Please take time to think of these young men, not just as another number or name as part of the KIA or MIA; don't think of them as just the cost of war.
These young men - sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands - were real people with real lives that were cut far too short. They will never know what we are able to enjoy, in part because of their ultimate sacrifice. Thank them and thank you for taking the time to read this book.
For more information, click HERE.
Also available in audio
My latest blog post: 9/15/2026 #223 Shakedown Cruise (After the Shipyards)
Kitty Hawk completed her major one-year overhaul in March 1977 and departed the Bremerton Shipyards April 1, 1977, to return to San Diego. For those of us who wanted to drive, the CO gave us four days to get from Bremerton to San Diego, and since I had my new Chevy truck (aka "The Chet Mobile"), I took advantage of that drive.
I drove alone with no riders except for the occasional hitchhiker. Hitchhiking was a lot safer back in the mid-seventies than it is now. Once in Oregon, I headed straight for the coast.
It was some of the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen, and I took my time. There was very little development and only small seaside towns along most of the way. I had purchased a camper top a couple of months earlier and built storage boxes; I lined the truck bed with thick foam and carpet I had scavenged from the shipyard.
I also had some curtains that a girlfriend of mine had sewn. It was quite comfortable to sleep in. I did all my cooking on my Coleman stove and, with my guitar, serenaded some of the other campers in campgrounds along the way.
I took the full four days to drive to San Diego. It did not make much sense to hasten the trip since I did not have anywhere to stay if I arrived early.
I got to the ship about four hours after she docked at the pier. Even though I had a great trip down and the scenery was spectacular, it felt good to be back aboard.
Books written by Andy Adkins
80th Division (WWII) Books edited by Andy Adkins
