By James A. Hawkins, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2014) Reviewed by Colonel Curt Marsh, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (Retired) A Common Virtue is the first novel by author James Hawkins, a former Marine who served during the Vietnam War. The story is about a Marine officer and a young enlisted Marine who lead in
By William Weatherly [Capt. George Jackson, USN (Ret.)], iUniverse (2014) Reviewed by Jason McHale What if the Washington Naval Conference collapsed and its terms were never ratified? What if the post-World War naval buildup continued unabated until the Second World War? Sheppard of the Argonne is set in an alternate history where those questions become
By Donald A. Tortorice, Author House, Bloomington, IN (2014) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA I, Horatio is a fictional autobiography about Horatio Nelson, clearly a subject of note for those who care about naval history. Nelson’s titles were read out loud to an assemblage of mourners at his funeral at St. Paul’s Cathedral in
By Arthur Marder, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2013) Reviewed by Captain Winn Price, U.S. Naval Reserve (Ret.) Of the first of five volumes that compose Dreadnought to Scapa Flow, this review addresses Volume II, subtitled “The War Years: To the Eve of Jutland 1914-1916.” These five books, which address World War I from the
By Matthew T. Eng Nearly two hundred Swift boat veterans traveled into Washington, D.C. this past Saturday to view the Swift boat on display outside on the Washington Navy Yard waterfront and tour the exhibits at the National Museum of the United States Navy. Their excursion to the Washington Navy Yard was part of the
By David F. Winkler, Navy Reserve Centennial Book Committee, Washington, DC. (2015) Reviewed by David F. Winkler, Ph.D. As managing editor of the Naval Historical Foundation’s Naval History Book Reviews I’m taking the prerogative of reviewing my own book as I have some thoughts about its production, content, and some subjects covered in the book
By Rear Admiral Dave Oliver, USN (Ret.), Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, (2014) Reviewed by Phillip G. Pattee, Ph.D. Rear Admiral Dave Oliver, USN (Ret.), A 1963 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was a nuclear-trained submarine officer who spent thirty-two years leading within the U.S. Navy. After retirement, he served as the Principal Deputy Secretary
By Steve R. Dunn, Book Guild Publishing, Sussex, England, (2014) Reviewed by Capt. John A. Rodgaard USN (Ret.) What is cowardice? Can cowardice be reinterpreted as an act of reasoned restraint or self-preservation? Is cowardice situational, or is it a character trait? Does it possess a moral dimension? That is, “Can a brave man also
By Mark Stille, Osprey, New York (2014) Reviewed by James H. McClelland, Sr. US Heavy Cruisers: 1943 – 75 is a gold mine of information concerning the U.S. Navy’s heavy cruisers of World War II and beyond. Mark Stille, a retired navy commander who has held posts in the intelligence community, faculty positions at the
By Harlan K. Ullman, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, (2014) Reviewed by Nathan Albright Readers with an interest in grand strategy and a forceful and candid presentation of a wide variety of threats to the peace and well-being of the world will find a great deal of interest in this particular book. Although this is
By Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret.), Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2014) Reviewed by Stephen Phillips Admiral James Stavridis is a prolific writer who is known for countless journal articles and several books that should be in every naval officer’s collection, such as Division Officer’s Guide, Destroyer Captain, and Command at Sea. Fans and followers
By Admiral Kinnear as told to James Carter, Dog Ear Publishing, Indianapolis, IN (2014) Reviewed by Charles Bogart The heart of this autographical book centers around four topics the Admiral feels are important for success: have a vision of what you want to achieve, take advantage of continuing education opportunities, spend time developing personal networks,
By Mark A. Chambers, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC (2014) Reviewed by Richard P. Hallion, Ph.D. This pictorial history is a useful and appealing introduction to what naval aviators—specifically, test pilots, flight test engineers, test crews, and technical support staff—have accomplished over the last seventy years at one of the world’s finest and most historic flight
By Sheila Nickerson, University of Alaska Press, Anchorage (2014) Reviewed by Jan Churchill The North Pole was the ultimate prize. Before aviation, ships could only go so far thanks to polar ice. The best way to travel, with supplies and food, was by dog sledge. However, the British Royal Navy made men, not dogs, haul
Tomorrow marks the centennial of Congressional legislation that created the Navy Reserve component of today’s United States Navy. While a hundred years is a significant milestone, bear in mind that 2015 also marks the 240th anniversary of the creation of the United States Navy. Given this context, the question needs to be asked: What took
