Andy Adkins, Author

A Veteran's Journey - Volume 4
Short Stories & Navy Friday Funnies (2024-2026)

Published by: Andy Adkins
Release date: March 2026
Format: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 300
ISBN: 978-1-7363878-8-7 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-7363878-9-4 (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 more 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) Veteran's Day: "Missing Man" Table
(2) Technology Rants
(3) Oh, the Places You'll Go
(4) My Favorite Navy Jets (70s version)
(5) The Bulge ... "Revisited"
(6) The "Pucker Factor"
(7) My Best Day(s) in the Navy
(8) Old Habits Die Hard
(9) It's Just a Number
(10) Back Then, I Could Sleep Anywhere
(11) The Day I "Accidentally" Made 30 Kids Cry
(12) The Navy Introduced Me to a Lot of "Firsts"
(13) Military Ball Caps ... and Rocks
(14) An Honor and a Privilege
(15) My First ... Overseas Liberty Call
(16) Change of "Scenery" (Red to Yellow)
(17) Cruisin' ... It's Not the Same
(18) Transfer Orders
(19) Night Shift
(20) Dear Mom & Dad
(21) A Force to be Reckoned With
(22) Midrats
(23) Grandparenting - What a Great Gig!
(24) My Best (3) Days in the Navy
(25) Why Do I Keep Doing This?
(26) Christmas Edition
(27) Happy New Year!
(28) Navy Lingo
(29) Westpac '75
(30) Westpac '75 Flight Ops
(31) Westpac '75: Transit to PI
(32) Westpac '75: PI Liberty Call
(33) Westpac '75: It's Not Just a Job
(34) Westpac '75: Heading Home
(35) You Won't Hear These Terms in Other Services
(36) Taking "Leave"
(37) A Child of the Sixties
(38) Your Mission ... Should You Decide to Accept it
(39) What the Hell Did I Get Myself Into?
(40) The Weight We Carry
(41) You Remember That Time When
(42) If We Had This Back in the 70s
(43) The Journey Continues
(44) Accidents Happen
(45) Welcome Aboard!
(46) It's Become an Obsession
(47) Those Things That Stay With You
(48) "Timeless Treasures"
(49) This "Getting Old S**t" is Getting Old
(50) A Lighter Touch: A Few "Navy Friday Funnies"

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ANDY ADKINS