Born April 16, 1927 Mr. Atkins enlisted in the Navy at age 17 to help fight during WWII.  After boot camp he was sent to a school to learn to operate what was then a new type of craft the Navy was implementing, called an LCVP.  Atkins advanced quickly and was placed in command of his own crew and issued his own LCVP, which is a boat used to transport Marines from the ships to the beach.  Atkins was part of the initial invasion of Okinawa in April 1945.
After WWII, Atkins returned home, married his sweetheart and had four children.  He remained in the Navy for 43 years and retired in 1987 as CWO4.  In the 1960's he volunteered as an officer/leader of a US Naval Sea Cadet unit in Dallas.  As commanding officer, his unit won the national championship two times.  In 1969, he accepted an offer to become the Executive Director of the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps in Washington DC. 
Mr. Atkins retired in east Texas where he lived for 15 years until his death on June 17, 2013.  He is survived by his wife Zelma, daughter Elaine, and three sons, Ric, Dennis, and Scott.