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 debut novel, NEVER FORGET, is published and available on Amazon. It's a story of a veteran's journey for redemption and forgiveness.
NEVER FORGET is a work of fiction and is a multi-generational father, son, and grandson novel about WWII and Vietnam. It 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.
I'm offering this book for free (download PDF, eBook formats) for all veterans. Actually, for a limited time, anyone can download it. But if you wish to have a paperback, it's also available at Amazon.
For more information, click HERE.
Also available in audio
My latest blog post: 4/30/24 The Day I "Accidentally" Made 30 Kids Cry
I was (and still am) a Navy veteran... a proud Navy veteran.
I spent 4 years in the Navy ('73-77) as an Aviation Boatswains Mate-Handler. Most of that time was as a Crash firefighter. I had two duty stations (three, if you count the shipyards): NAS Agana, Guam and USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63).
After my discharge in July 1977, I was confident, a bit cocky, and felt like I could do almost anything. I took a job as a civilian firefighter with the City of Gainesville, Florida--my hometown. It was a natural progression from the Navy.
I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. I had joined the Navy after flunking out of college (Florida State University); that was the best decision I'd made (that is, joining the Navy... NOT flunking out of college), and it helped lay the path for my future. When I got back to Gainesville, I joined the fire department, and I started back to college (Santa Fe Community College) full time. One day on, two days off... just right for going back to school.
I'd spent 2 1/2 years on the flight deck of Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in V-1 Division. I'd faced fires; I'd faced crashes; I'd faced death... more than once. And here I was now, working as a firefighter, making a whopping $9,600 a year. That's up from about $6,500 a year I earned while an ABH2 (E-5) when I left the Navy. Of course, I had room & board back then.
Books written by Andy Adkins
80th Division (WWII) Books edited by Andy Adkins
