Navy

Title: Gangway, Regular Navy: Memoirs of Life and Humor in the United States Navy during the Cold War
Author: Richard Merrell
Genre: Non-Fiction, Military, Navy
Reviewer: Rob Ballister

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0788432834

Inspired by an extraordinary twenty-year U.S. Navy career, Gangway, Regular Navy! is the end result of two decades of blood, sweat, and beers. Covering the Cold War era from 1960-1980, Gangway, Regular Navy! is a historically and militarily accurate portrayal of world events during that time period. These pages contain an in-depth "behind the scenes," whirlwind journey that lets the reader experience the historical, hilarious, shocking, and sometimes criminal activities that the author witnessed as a member of the world's most powerful and diverse fighting force-the United States Navy. Gangway, Regular Navy! is a no-holds-barred, unapologetic, politically incorrect, first-hand account of these activities, from a time when being a member of the U.S. Navy meant not only overwhelming responsibilities, but also unbridled freedom and good times for millions of young men and women. Young people often dream of escaping the boundaries of their mundane hometowns and traveling to exotic lands, experiencing unique cultures, and meeting unforgettable characters around the world. The author lived this dream during a twenty year U.S. Navy career that proved to be the adventure of a lifetime and a learning experience that cannot be taught in any school. Much of the material in the book was dredged from hard nights in the sleazy, grimy, wonderful back alleys and gin mills of some of the world's most shady places, where the hookers would just as soon slit your throat as perform their intended obligations. It is here where sailors gather to drink heartily and engage in the age-old art of verbal one-upmanship, taking great pride in telling the most amazing, the funniest, or the most bizarre story of the evening. Written by a tried and true Tin Can Sailor, the author's diverse background as both an enlisted man and an officer gives a truly unique perspective of Navy life, and also provides insight into the amazing men and women who served during that time. As a humorous, honest, uplifting account of a twenty-year slice of naval history, Gangway, Regular Navy! is certain to entertain, inform, and delight everyone who dares read its pages.

Title: Rogue Avenger: They Stole his Future. He Stole their Submarine
Author: John R. Monteith
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0985044322

The U.S. Navy makes a big mistake when it thinks it can get away with sacrificing one of its own. Naval officer Jake Slate survives an explosion on a submarine, but the damage will haunt him forever. He learns that the worst harm resulted from malice, and when politically motivated naval officials bury the truth, they lock horns with the wrong guy. Slate's vengeance will turn the Navy inside out. Arms broker and French ex-submarine commander Pierre Renard discovers Slate's situation and recruits him to steal his Trident Missile submarine, the USS Colorado, and sell its warheads to Taiwan. Blinded by rage, unsure of his future, and uncertain of whom he can trust, Slate is confident in one thing - nobody can stop him from taking the Colorado. He allies with Renard and begins a journey that will define the fate of nations.

Title: The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History
Author: Nicholas A. Veronico
Genre: Non-Fiction, Reference
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): B003TU2KGK

It began in 1946 when Admiral Chester W. Nimitz ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to keep the public interested in naval aviation. The Blue Angels performed their first air show less than a year later in June 1946 at their home base, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida.

Today, sixty years later, the Blue Angels are a worldwide phenomenon, exemplary representatives of Navy and Marine Corps aviation and international ambassadors of goodwill seen by fifteen million awestruck spectators each year. The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History tells the story of this high-flying phenomenon from its inception through the present day.

Respected aviation writer Nicholas Veronico conducts readers through the Blue Angels history from the earliest Flight Leader, Roy "Butch" Voris, in his Grumman F6F Hellcat to the sleek McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet that todays Angels fly. Along the way this profusely illustrated volume revisits the Blue Angels changing aircraft and role, including their incarnation as the nucleus of a fighter squadron known "Satans Kittens" during the Korean War and their flying of the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II in the Seventies.

Well over 300 million spectators have witnessed the Blue Angels airborne exploits. This book gives readers a close-up look at the remarkable team of flyers as it made history on the wing.