Three Years, Eleven Months, 29 Days - But Who's Counting

by Andrew Z. Adkins III

At eighteen years old and without a clue as to what he wanted to do with his life, Andy ("Chet") Adkins joined the Navy. His journey not only taught him discipline and leadership, but also helped him mature into a confident man.

Three Years, Eleven Months, 29 Days - But Who's Counting, is a book about growing up in the Navy, including all the good, bad, and indifferent. The Navy is full of traditions and Adkins captures the essence of these timeless military honors. His experiences in both land and sea assignments offer a unique insight into the daily events of a modern day Navy man.

After flunking out of college, Adkins takes you from induction, through boot camp and A School, and through his three tours: NAS Agana Guam, USS Kitty Hawk, and the Bremerton Shipyards, all the time with detailed daily life in the Navy, both on duty as well as off duty.

Whether you are currently serving in the Navy or any branch of service or a Veteran, you'll relive a lot of your own experiences, good or bad, through the eyes of a Navy man. If you are contemplating joining the Navy, this will be an eye-opener to the wondrous adventures that lie ahead of you.

May God Bless all our military: those who served, those who are serving, and those who will serve.

Note that ALL NET PROCEEDS from the sale of this book will go to the USS Kitty Hawk Veterans Association Kitty Hawk Museum Fund.

339 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2014

About the author

I'm actually in my fifth (or is it sixth?) career. I spent four years in the U.S. Navy during the 70s, most of which was on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier as a Crash & Salvage firefighter ("Red Shirt") and an aircraft director ("Yellow Shirt").

After my honorable discharge, I became a firefighter with the City of Gainesville, Florida while attending the local community college, full-time.

By education and training, I have a couple of degrees in electronics engineering (BSEE '82, ME '89) from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and spent five years designing and developing microprocessor-based computer systems in the 80s.

I then turned to consulting, working with lawyers all over the country as an independent legal technology consultant (Adkins Consulting Group, LLC).

I had an opportunity to create the Legal Technology Institute at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where I continued to provide technology consulting to the legal profession. I was also the law school IT director for a few years as well as an adjunct professor, teaching Law Practice Management to 2Ls and 3Ls. I left UFLaw in June 2010 with a main goal of "slowing down." I privatized the Legal Technology Institute and continued to consult with lawyers around the country.

Just when I thought I was "slowing down," a previous consulting client called, asking if I would come work with him as the Chief Information Officer for a large law firm. We moved to West Virginia for four years and I was able to help the firm grow from 220 attorneys and 10 offices to 350 attorneys and 15 offices in six states. We loved our time in West Virginia; though, being a lifelong "Gator," it was a little hard to get used to saying, "Go 'Eers." After four years, we needed to move back to Florida for family reasons.

Just when I thought I was "slowing down" (again), a previous employer called, asking if I would be interested in helping with a software startup company. I spent a couple of years working with a great group of folks.

I hope I'm slowing down.

But then, I now have the "writing bug."