Unbreakable Wings is the story Navy Captain Derek “DA” Adametz lived long before he wrote it down. Most So There I Was stories start in a cockpit. This one starts on an emergency room table, with a scalpel headed for his ribs.
In November 1995, DA was a University of Wisconsin ROTC senior already selected for Naval Aviation. Then a routine run ended in a tension pneumothorax. His trachea looked like a question mark, and his heart had shifted sides.
After worrying about not making it past Navy Medical, the flight surgeon barely flinched. He signed the up chit, and DA sprinted out before anyone could reconsider.
Next came T-34Cs at Whiting Field, T-44s in Corpus Christi, and the P-3 RAG in Jacksonville. His first squadron, VP-45, met him in Puerto Rico with a cooler of cold beer.
Panama counter-drug patrols followed. Picture a P-3 at 1,000 feet over the water with two engines shut down on purpose. Fig’s verdict: P-3 guys are nuts.
Unbreakable Wings: From Chemo Chair to Squadron Command
In 1999, chest pain sent him to Bethesda for “some tests.” The tests found Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Six months of ABVD chemo turned into eight. McDonald’s fries were his staple as it was the only food that tasted the same coming up. At his lowest point, he drove seven hours to Niagara Falls just to stand there for 30 minutes. He came home ready to finish the fight.
However, the Navy wasn’t done testing him. After a master’s at Naval Postgraduate School, fought through chemo brain, NAMI’s verdict arrived. It read: disqualified from flying, waiver granted. Furthermore, that waiver came with homework. Annual blood work, chest X-rays, and oncology visits became part of every flight physical.
Consequently, DA spent years chasing a career path he’d been knocked off of. He leapfrogged quals in VP-5, stood watches on Nimitz, and ran departments in VP-46. Then came command of VP-8, including the squadron’s transition from the P-3 to the P-8.
He retired as a captain in July 2025. Today he still works Navy experimentation as a contractor.
Why write the book? He wants to give someone struggling the same hope Niagara Falls gave him.
Stay Connected
Grab Unbreakable Wings and DA’s short “quick read” stories at derekadametz.com. The book is also on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and BookBub.
This episode is sponsored by DCArtworks.net, veteran-owned precision laser-cut steel art. Use code STIW for 20% off. It stacks with sales and never expires.
Grab a hoodie, koozie, mug, or doormat at sothereiwas.us/merch. Shopping on Amazon anyway? Start at STIW.store and a few pennies come our way.
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