About me
I am Richard R. Adams ,54, a former Navy Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (ABHAN), aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN 71. At 24 years old I joined the Navy for a few reasons. The number one was the military was an opportunity to be able to raise my young family with financial security and a positive support system. Second, as I went through the recruiting process, I learned that I would have the opportunity to work around airplanes. As a teenager I dreamed about being a pilot. Unfortunately, the Navy wouldn’t spent millions to teach me to be a pilot, but working on a Navy aircraft carrier was a life changing experience. Lastly, I was fortunate enough to be allowed to serve my country at the beginning of the Persian Gulf war. I have enjoyed a nice
civilian life and have been blessed with 4 beautiful children and 8 wonderful grandchildren. I have tried to lead a quiet existence until now. In December of 2018 I had a heart attack which past and current physicians concur that it should have been fatal. While being thankful at the time, I thought to myself that God left me here because he wasn’t done with me, here. I continued to look for signs of what he was calling for me to do. On September 25th, 2021 I had a stroke. On October 5th I was admitted to the Michael E DeBakey Veterans Medical Center, in Houston, Texas. As I attempted to recover from my second life threatening and life changing event, the way I was treated was below humane, not like a veteran and defiantly not like a hero. While in the hospital my mom and my longest friend reached out to me, the calls within minutes of each other, from the conversations I realized why I was still here. I was meant to use my passion and talents to fight for myself and my fellow veterans. I realize that there so many veterans are who not able to fight for themselves or are afraid to fight to get what they so deserve. Please understand this is not a revenge campaign against the hospital, but an eye opener about how so-called heroes is really treated every day. What I am talking about things like seeing homeless veterans on the street or speaking to fellow veterans who don’t have the necessary resources to properly file a claim. I know Vietnam veterans today that don’t know what help they are entitle to. There are so many issues that need to be addressed, and that's why I am here.
I am lucky enough to call my mom a Navy veteran, an air traffic controller, my dad a Vietnam veteran, Marine machine gunner, also I am a proud dad of two daughters, Army veterans.