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Confessions of a Military Wife Review

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(More customer reviews)So, I have been reading the book since I put my kids to bed 2 hours ago and I can not stop laughing! I have never laughed so hard when reading something my entire life. I can relate to so many of the stories, especially since Pendleton has been our only duty station so far. While I can't relate to Mollie's tummy problems..., I still can relate to the discomfort of the good looking young Navy doctors...Dr. Lund delivered one of my kids and I was traumatized, so I can only imagine how your experience with him must have been! Thank you so much for writing this...it's definitely going to help me get through this current deployment! :)

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Tomahawk (Dan Lenson Novels) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have read the other David Poyer novels featuring USN officer Dan Lenson. They are THE MED, THE GULF, THE CIRCLE and THE PASSAGE. I liked all of them because Poyer, a Naval Academy graduate writes well about men and the sea.
I had trouble with TOMAHAWK mainly because Poyer turns Lenson into (in my opinion) a very unbelieveable character. While I will grant the possibility of a career naval officer falling for a peace activist, I think the way Poyer writes about it is unrealistic and I think readers who buy the premise are simply naive romantics.
For those who have never served in the officer corps of any of the armed forces, let me say this. Dan Lenson's misgivings about the TOMAHAWK as a then new weapons system would have caused him a lot of trouble. Since the system gave him a moral dilemma, it follows that those doubts would reflect in his performance. The doubts did and his OER (Officer Efficiency Report) suffered.
To be sure, there is an incredible amount of waste in military procurement but, I really think that if LT Lenson had or developed moral qualms about the weapons systems the US Navy was seeking to develop and procure, he owed it to himself, his service and his nation to resign his commission and find another way to make a living. Most officers who leave the service do so for a variety of reasons. Some of them hate the OPSTEMPO, the deployments, separation from family, living conditions/low pay, etc. All of these are reasons retention of personnel in the military today is heading SOUTH!!!
I served on active duty and am now a member of the reserves and I found Dan Lenson unbelieveable in this book. If I served with a fellow officer like Dan Lenson, I would probably sit down with him and recommend that he find another career path because he was deliberately shooting himself in the foot. Well educated Annapolis grads like Dan Lenson don't do that. If they have a problem with the system, they make their recommendations for improvements; if they go unheeded, they either shut up and press on or they request a transfer. If the navy itself is what's getting to them, they generally put in their resignation papers and head off to greener pastures.
I just couldn't find any sympathy for Dan Lenson. If Poyer writes another Dan Lenson novel and I read that he has become an Admiral, I think I'll be sick. Dan Lenson is not Flag Officer material, not even with all the fictitious license in the world.The way it was written tells me that TOMAHAWK should probably be the last installment in the continuing saga of Dan Lenson, USN.

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Assumed the Watch. Moored as Before. Review

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(More customer reviews)Just finished what I consider is the definitive statement as to what is wrong with the current leadership of the U.S. Navy. Well written and to the point as why outstanding men and women are departing the officer ranks in droves leaving the Navy with a very shallow talent pool in which to select from its ranks officers that will command ships and squadrons. The USS Cowpens was a train wreak that because of cowardly senior naval officers that refused to acknowledge that naval higher authority by giving to Captain Graf command of the USS Cowpens it had given a ship to a female Captain Bligh. I recommend that all commanding and flag officers in the U.S. Navy be required to read this book.
GMC USN (retired)

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The USS Pelican, or the Pelican t as it was affectionately known, was the craziest, most nerve-racking ship in the navy. How was that possible, though, if it remained tied to the pier essentially for two years? This account contains the musings and observations of one junior officer attempting to stay sane aboard mighty Pelican. Likewise, it includes his attempts to do the same on a different ship this one doing circles in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

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The Devil Himself: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)You get to know and care about historical, infamous characters who until this book, were enigmas. Jonah Eastman has a daunting but rewarding task of uncovering a little known but powerful operation that impacted WWII on American soil. You see notorious mobsters a little more as human beings instead of cold blooded mobsters and what they would be willing to do for the people and issues they held dear. On a bigger scale, you see political and military leaders do what they need to do in a time of crisis to protect their jobs and their country. It is like being invited to an elite club to be privy to their conversations. I couldn't book this book down!

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The Circle (Dan Lenson Novels) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was stationed on two FRAM-II Destroyers. I am a "Blue Nose", a "Shellback", and earned a Combat Action Ribbon while a crewmember on the USS Ozbourn (DD-846) off the coast of Vietnam. I am tired of all these glorified ("gun-decked")stories and movies about submarines and aircraft carriers, usually written by retired admirals or authors who were never even in the military never mind the navy. This story tells it like it is. I've often times wondered how young Ensigns dealt with the crap and stayed sane never mind got advanced and survive to make successful Navy careers. I truly enjoyed this book. I'm reading "The Med" now and I have also got "Passage" standing by. Only a "Tin Can Sailor" could have written this book. The terminolgy and slang terms are right on. I can understand how a person who never served in the Navy would have a hard time with this book. Perhaps Poyer should have a glossary in the back of his books to help decipher Navy jargon. I highly recommend this book, especially to former Navy anchor clankers. To Mr Poyer, from one ol' Tin Can Sailor to another, I bid you fair winds and follwing seas.

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Cyclops Review

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(More customer reviews)I thought that Clive would be hard pressed to out-do 'Raise The Titanic' widely considered his best work...but I've gotta admit, 'Cyclops' does it for me. It puzzles me how some reviewers seem surprised at the seemingly impossible situations Dirk finds himself in, and STILL manages to escape FROM, and STILL get the girl. C'mon! As one reviewer already stated, Clive writes seriously fun books, but doesn't take the story too serious that it cannot have fun in the process, and even though you might be crying 'foul' in one sentence, by the next, you have forgotten how implausible if not down right IMPOSSIBLE the story has become, and you just continue right on through because it was written for entertainment purposes, and THAT is what 'Cyclops' does in GRAND Style. Cussler has written possibly his best story (although I have to admit Atlantis Found is right up there) and given us a fantastic tale that will endure well beyond the years. Unlike certain forms of music, and clothing, Pitt will ALWAYS be in style.
As always, I enjoy feedback on MY opinions: rmgomske@lightcom.net

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Punk's Wing Review

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(More customer reviews)I read "Punk's War" a year or so ago and really enjoyed it, though it seemed to me that some of the senior officer characters were treated a bit too stereotypically (but maybe not - maybe there are less talented, showboating officers who become leaders in spite of the fact that they care only about their own careers - or maybe because of it - I hope not but I was never in the military so...).
This time the author has created characters that seem more real, with talents, flaws, fears, and doubts. Of the many military and techno-thriller novels I have read where "women in combat" is played up as a central conflict, I think this is the best. "Muddy" has problems becoming an F-14 pilot, and she gets special attention from a crusading senator, but her problems could happen to anyone, and special attention (which she doesn't even want) actually creates more problem. The personal, professional, and political worlds intersect in complex ways. Flying an airplane requires multi-tasking, as I learned in my own pilot training in slow-moving Cessna's. I admire anyone who can manage the learning curves and high intensity juggling acts required of military pilots. The training stuff in here is really good, not just filler before the combat scenes.
The combat scenes are good too, and they show that Afghanistan was no cakewalk for our carrier-based flyers. Missions with 3-5 aerial refuelings were the norm, and that stuff isn't easy even under the best conditions, which these were not.
A good book with excellent action and characters I could relate to as real people. There is a mystery through the book concerning an intermittent problem with flight controls that causes the accident that kills Punk's best friend. Punk suspects that the manufacturer and their representative are covering up known problems to avoid a profit-killing "recall", and the civilian rep is a pretty cartoonish character. But this is worked into the plot in a reasonable way and doesn't detract from the overall success of the book.

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Aircraft Carriers at War: A Personal Retrospective of Korea, Vietnam, and the Soviet Confrontation Review

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(More customer reviews)Admiral Holloway's story begins with a destroyer torpedo attack on a battleship during the Battle of Suriago Strait in WW II. At the time Holloway was a lieutenant assigned as the gunnery and torpedo officer in the destroyer USS Bennion. There is a rule of thumb in the Navy that a destroyer making a torpedo attack on a battleship in a sea battle has a life expectancy of less than five minutes before being sunk. You can imagine the feelings of the crew aboard Bennion realizing as they turned in to attack that many of them probably had less than five minutes to live.
Less than a week after that battle Lieutenant Holloway departed for flight training. His parting comments to the commanding officer were "In the past 48 hours we have silenced two shore batteries, shot down three Zeros, battled a Japanese cruiser, sunk a destroyer by gunfire, and torpedoed a Japanese battleship. I think I'm ready to try something new."
The book goes on to describe Holloway's experience in flight training and eventual assignment as operations officer of a carrier air task group where he flew as a pilot with Fighter Squadron 111 in combat in Korea. Later in the war he served as executive officer and then commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 52. His descriptions of flying in that war are as detailed, readable and understandable as any air combat stories I have ever read. The intensity of the naval air campaign in Korea is little understood or appreciated. An example is that one of the squadrons in his task group, VF-653, lost 12 of its 26 pilots during his 1951-52 tour.
Aircraft Carriers at War could well have been titled A History of the US Navy in our Time. Admiral Holloway next describes many of the naval operations during the cold war where his assignments included command of Attack Squadron 83 whose mission was delivery of nuclear weapons. The operations of such squadrons are described in easily understood terms.
The most significant operational descriptions in the book are included in Holloway's command tour of the nuclear powered attack aircraft carrier Enterprise during the Vietnam War. We seldom read descriptions of carrier operations by carrier commanders and this book has the best description of carrier warfare I have ever read. The command responsibilities and day to day operations of a carrier captain are clearly described and explained.
The remainder of the book is the most important historically as Holloway describes his operational experiences as an admiral in command of various fleet components and his Washington assignments leading to his selection as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The description of his tour as CNO gives seldom revealed insights into the inner workings of the Department of Defense and the relationship of the service commanders with the president and congress.
Aircraft Carriers at War is a historical review of naval operations in our time including three hot wars, the cold war and numerous international incidents written by a participant rather than an observer. Admiral Holloway is generally considered the most knowledgeable and dedicated proponent of aircraft carriers in our time and this book clearly reflects his knowledge and experience.
You may have noted this is not an entirely unbiased review. I confess that I commanded an attack aircraft squadron and an attack aircraft carrier at the same time as Admiral Holloway and we sometimes operated together.

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The Encyclopedia of Warships: From World War II to the Present Day Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is quite entertaining when it comes to the quality of pictures. Its covers most of the warship classes in different type such as Submarines, frigates, destroyers, cruisers, battleship, and aircraft carrier.
You will get brief description on each class and also history of the ship it self.
The writer devide the time line :
1. World War 2
2. Cold War
3. Modern
Each time line come with explanation on different type of warship and classes. However, not everyship are covered. This book is not intended for details reference.
I like this book because of the simplicity, not too heavy and come with great pictures. I gave 4 stars instead of 5, because this book more focus on the coldwar rather than WW2.

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Ahoy, Sea Dogs and Battleship Historians! Here's a book you're bound to love. The Encyclopedia of Warships is an exciting compendium of more than 300 of the finest battleships, aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, and cruisers ever built.Each ship is described in great detail and is illustrated with full-color artwork and photographs of the ship in action. You'll learn all about each vessel's design, development, and service record.It's arranged in chronological order by type of vessel and provides a selective guide to the most important fighting vessels from WWII onward. Naval buffs will especially enjoy the meticulous specification tables featuring information on dimensions, powerplant, performance, armament, speed, and complement. This requisite reference includes legendary grey ladies like the Bismarck and the U.S.S. Enterprise.

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Into the Storm (Troubleshooters, Book 10) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's the Saltwater Cowboys versus the Troubleshooters... as the two are pitted together in an exercise and competition of sorts. Troubleshooter Lindsey Fontaine is nursing a huge crush on vertically challenged SEAL Mark Jenkins (hey - I'm not the one who made his stature abundantly clear 25 times in the book). When she is chosen as the "victim" she has to work double time to prove her SEAL-worthiness. Mark is attracted to Lindsey, but has always wanted childhood goddess Tracy Shapiro. He thinks he might have a chance with her now that Tracy has broken up with her wandering eyed boyfriend Lyle. Again. But after the competition, it is Lindsey who lands in his bed, then races out of it when Tracy has another meltdown and turns to Mark for comfort.
When the competition proves successful, they decide to do it all over again... in the freezing cold mountains of New Hampshire. Tracy gets to come along as the victim, and Lindsey relishes in letting her know she can only bring one carry on. As they set out on the new excursion, the tension between Mark (who is now head over heels for Lindsey) and Lindsey is so thick you can cut it with a knife. But ever the professionals, they try to keep their feelings in check. During the exercise, chaos ensues, and then suddenly, Tracy is nowhere to be found, and falls unwittingly into the hands of a sadistic serial killer. Will the cowboys and troubleshooters find her in time?
There is so much going on in this story. And yet, it really lags. There are three potential romances, two of which are triangles. And a serial killer on the loose... each could be a story itself. While Izzy can be humorous at times, it got old really quick. I found that the only compelling romance was between Sophia and Deck, and that one is destined to play out longer than Sam and Alyssa.
Was it just me, or did Marc and Lindsey's romance sound eerily familiar, like perhaps Wes and Brittany from "Night Watch?" Vertically challenged guy in love with a woman they cannot have so they have a "casual" relationship with the next best thing that really turns out to be the best thing... It was a good read, but not one that would stand up to repeated scrutiny or readings. If this is your first SEAL 16 novel, go back and read an earlier one like "Over the Edge" first.

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Rescue of Streetcar 304: A Navy Pilot's Forty Hours on the Run in Laos Review

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(More customer reviews)I have never read a better book about heroism than this book, it is a must read. This true adventure takes place during the Vietnam War. Kenny Fields, a Navy Pilot, has written an adventure story about his escape from Laos after his aircraft was shot down. We are told in graphic detail of his experiences and of those attempting his rescue. The reader will feel as if he or she is in the jungle with him and in the Air Force aircraft attempting his rescue. It also tells of the heart ache and fear family members go through when their loved ones are placed in harms way. This book will become a classic of men at war. It illustrates the courage, love of God, country and family of our men in the military.

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On 31 May 1968, Lt. Kenny Fields catapulted off USS America in his A-7 for his first-ever combat mission. His target was two hundred miles away in Laos. What the planners did not know was that Fields was en route to a massive concentration of AAA gun sites amidst an entire North Vietnamese division. Fields, call sign Streetcar 304, was the first to roll in, and he destroyed that target with a direct hit. Three AAA guns began to fire, but, following his wingman's run, he rolled in again. This time many more AAA guns opened up and Fields was shot down. Soon, a rescue pilot suffered the same fate. The Rescue of Streetcar 304 is Fields' exhilarating narrative of the forty hours that followed and what turned out to be one of the largest and most spine-tingling air rescues of the Vietnam War. Fields mixes humor and drama as he recounts teeth-chattering close encounters with Pathet Lao guerillas, and nearly being killed time and again by friendly bombs. He describes in riveting detail the radio chatter between participants, and the stress effects of coping with fear, sleep deprivation, wild animals, and relentless AAA. By the time it was over, the U.S. Air Force had flown 189 sorties to rescue Fields, and in the process four pilots ejected, seven planes were lost or heavily damaged, and one pilot became a POW for five years.

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Hostage (Navy Justice, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)'Hostage' is an intense book from start to finish. It contains action, drama, and classic courtroom confrontations.
It begins with terrorists seeking revenge against Lt. Zach Brewer and Lt. Diane Colcernian for the prosecution of some of their cohorts. The terror group also has more moles in the U.S. Navy plotting additional mayhem.
It is a sequel to 'Treason'. A lot of the events and characters are tied into happenings from the first book. I would definitely recommend reading 'Treason' first. Without doing so, I think readers would be missing quite a bit.
I think that this one is even better than the first book. It is extremely well written and keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat.

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Zack Brewer faces a choice. It can prevent the next war. But it will cost the life of the person he loves the most.JAG Officer Zack Brewer's prosecution of three terrorists posing as Navy chaplains was called the 'court martial of the century' by the press. Now, with the limelight behind him, all Zack wants to do is forget. But the radical Islamic organization behind the chaplains has a long memory---and a thirst for revenge.Now the Navy has a need for Zack that eclipses all else. When an unthinkable act of aggression brings Israel and its Arab neighbors to the brink of war, Zack and co-counsel Diane Colcernian are called to the case of a lifetime. As leading nations focus their gaze upon these two, other eyes are watching as well.Zack and Diane are in harm's way.A kidnapping, an ultimatum...and suddenly, Zack faces an impossible choice. If he loses this case, the world could explode into war. If he wins, his partner---the woman he loves---will die.And Zack himself may not survive to make the decision.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Defiance (Navy Justice, Book 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)Don Brown is quickly moving up in the ranks of the great novelists. 'Defiance' is a story that is hard to put down. This is the third installment in 'The Navy Justice Series'. Although the others have been very good, this is the best of the lot so far.
Zack Brewer and Diane Colcernian are back as central characters in this novel of courtroom drama, suspense, action, and even romance. Besides the assorted terrorist villains, there is a U.S. senator and presidential candidate, Eleanor Claxton, who is Machavellian to the core. Her machinations add an element of the worst in American politics. It also includes a dramatic rescue attempt by U.S. Navy Seals that has the potential of igniting a major war. In addition to all of the action, there is a spiritual component present for several of the characters facing major crises.
This book will appeal those of varying interests. I recommend it highly.

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From a murder in Paris to a courtroom in California to a terrorist camp in the Gobi Desert, Don Brown's follow-up to Treason and Hostage plunges into a suspense-filled journey of danger, duty, and hope. The Commander's Bodyguard is Shannon McGilverry, a crack NCIS agent assigned to protect Navy JAG Officer Zack Brewer. Zack is being hunted by terrorists, stalked by a psychopath, and is working his way through a perilous, politically-charged trial. When another Navy JAG officer is murdered, it's clear that Zack is in harm's way. As his bodyguard, Shannon must do more than protect Zack. She also must set aside her growing feelings for the brilliant attorney and investigate rumors that the love of his life, Diane Colcerninan, may still be alive. Zack finds himself in need of his faith more than ever as Navy SEALS launch a daring rescue attempt that has the potential to trigger World War III.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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