ANDY ADKINS


US Navy Veteran... City Firefighter... Engineer... Consultant... Author
"Life is a journey, one step followed by another..."


The 'Nam "AC-48"
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.


A Veteran's Journey
Also available in audio
My latest blog post: 2/25/26

#210 - There's Nothing Like a Liberty Port Call

After five weeks at sea, running flight ops from mid-morning to midnight, lack of sleep, and the constant hum of Kitty Hawk's four main engines, I'm ready for a port call. I'm sure all 5,500 of us are ready.

Let's see ...

We got underway for Westpac '75 on Wednesday, May 21 at about 1430 (2:30 p.m.). We were supposed to leave mid-morning, but one of the ship's boilers had a problem, so a slight delay.

It took us about six days to travel from North Island (San Diego) to Hawaii, passing by the USS Arizona Memorial. That was awesome - both the memorial and our stop in Hawaii.

Anyway, after five weeks at sea and the freezing cold transit through the Sea of Japan, I'm ready for a break, some ice-cold San Miguel Beer, a big plate of fried lumpia and fried rice, and some good ol' Filipino country music band. Along the way, I'll grab a bag of a dozen hot Pandesal bread, fresh from the oven.

Yeah, I'm ready.

Read the full article...


Books written by Andy Adkins

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80th Division (WWII) Books edited by Andy Adkins

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