Veterans Spotlight

A new column, entitled "Veterans Spotlight", begins today. The short article will highlight a local military veteran's service, past and present life, each week. The Whitehall Veterans hope you enjoy and that this helps you get to know some local heroes better.

Ron Adkins was born and raised in Northwest Pennsylvania and enlisted in the US Navy in Pittsburg at age 19. Due to an already extensive background in the construction trade, Ron enlisted as an E-3, Seaman, eventually rising to the rank of Builder Third Class. Ron turned 20 and 21 in Vietnam, serving with D Co., Mobile Construction Battalion that built gun pads, barracks, and anything else related to the military such as bridges. Basically, anything that the VC could blow up, he patched. Ron was mostly stationed in Danang and Chau Doc. There were roughly 90 people in his unit. After serving in Vietnam, Ron returned to NW Pennsylvania, quickly found employment outside the military service, then decided to make the move to Whitehall in 2011. Ron has been married to the wonderful Chris Adkins since 1977. They have a daughter, Kathy, that lives in PA and a son, Russell, that lives in Belgrade. Russell comes home to Whitehall on the weekends to hunt, which Ron would like to do with him, but with age comes slow legs and Ron says he just can't keep up anymore. Ron is a service-connected veteran due to exposure with agent orange in Vietnam and suffers from health issues as a result. Ron has been a life member of VFW Post 169 in Venango, PA since 1971. In fact, he was part of starting up the post. He joined the National Chapter of the American Legion in 1970, then switched to Whitehall upon moving here.

I recently had a brief conversation with Ron about his service and the community.

Q: What do you like about Whitehall? A: Not all, but most of the people are friendly, especially my fellow vets.

Q: Why did you join the Navy? A: I didn't feel like walking everywhere I went. We always took trucks, semis, whatever.

Q: Can you tell me about one of your best experiences from your time in the Navy? A: My First Class sent me down to a Marine encampment to a club and asked me to pick up beer. I walked in with my chevron on my hat and he gave me two cases a day for three weeks. He thought I was a colonel! I never told him I was just a petty officer third class.

Q: What was one of your worst experiences in the Navy? A: The ammo dump blew one time. I was the only one that went to school for pile driving, wing walls and bridges. You had to hold on to a lantern line, which was the automatic shut off for the diesel line. The line broke at the off switch. I had to climb a 45' derrick and while I was up there, I took sniper fire that was ricocheting off the structure. At about 35' I jumped into soft dirt.

On that same stretch of route, Route 2, the VC blew up the culvert. We had to inspect the damage and my shoe eyelets got entwined with two Chinese 50lb claymore mines. My buddies had to help me get unstuck. What seemed like only seconds probably took minutes to accomplish.

Q: Why would you suggest to a young man or woman to enter the US Navy? A: Good food. For us it was a great group of guys. We worked with a Marine security company to set up security precautions. They did their job will. I got along well with the Marines. We used to give them ice water to see how long it would take them to fall over. They just weren't used to ice. The average temperature was so hot!

Q: Anything else you'd like to add? A: You'll grow up a lot in the military and to an extent you'll see the world. I still have hard feelings about that period in my life, and have been asked if I'd like to go back, but no. There's a lot of jungle in Vietnam...

Final Note: The Commanding Officer, US Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 62, commended Builder Third Class Adkins for his admirable drive and determination in pursuing all tasks assigned to him, which he performed untiringly.

Our community thanks Ron Adkins for his service to his unit, the US Navy and the United States of America. If you are a military veteran, or know one, who would like more information about the Whitehall Veterans, please contact American Legion Post 24 Commander Kristian Richardson at (406) 595-6218.