I just finished the Sea of Thunder, by Evan Thomas and should tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Thomas does an outstanding job of piecing together a fascinating tale of adventures on the high seas using first hand accounts, official military records, journal entries, and ships’ logs. He takes the reader below deck and inside the captain’s quarters of four legendary naval commanders of World War II, highlighting the vastly different, yet often similar, stories of Admiral William Halsey, who commanded the U.S. 3rd Fleet and Admiral Takeo Kurita, his Japanese counterpart.
Throughout the Sea of Thunder, I found myself captivated with the details of combat at sea like the following…
The concussion from the Japanese slavo lifted him off his feet. His helmet struck an overhang and he fell to the deck. Woozily rousing himself, he saw three men emerge from a hatchway to the engine room and lie against the bulkhead. The men, members of the engine room “black gang” were turning ghastly white and swelling; their skin was peeling off in sheets. Steam broiled, all three men were soon dead. With super-charged 840 degree steam blasting below, no one else made it out of the wrecked engine room.
I highly recommend Evan Thomas’ Sea of Thunder, whether a history buff or not. Additionally, Evan Thomas will be doing an online chat this Friday at 1200 hours (noon) at Newsweek.com. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 0350 zulu | Comments & Trackbacks (1) | Permalink
This post is filed under: My Bookshelf
I’ve recently received in the mail several books that I’m managing to devour simultaneously whenever I can find a spare moment. The first to arrive in my mailbox was Blood Brothers: Among The Soldiers of Ward 57, by Michael Weisskopf.
Phenominal.
You may recognize the author Michael Weisskopf as the award winning reporter for TIME magazine.
At first I thought it was a rock, the specialty of street urchins — a harmless shot against an armored Humvee.
I gazed down and spotted an object on the wooden bench 2 feet away. The dark oval was as shiny and smooth as a tortoiseshell, roughly 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. None of my fellow passengers seemed to notice. I confronted the intruder alone, a journalist caught in a military moment. Something told me there was no time to consult the soldiers.
I rose halfway, leaned to the right, and cupped the object. I might as well have plucked volcanic lava from a crater. I could feel the flesh of my palm liquefying. Pain bolted up my arm like an electric current. In one fluid motion, I raised my right arm and started to throw the mass over the side of the vehicle, a short backhand toss. Then everything went dark.
Get the book and read it. Weisskopf does a great job of bringing the reader into his world, the world of a journalist who loses his right hand while chasing a story in war torn Iraq. But that isn’t all. During his recovery and rehabilitation, Michael Weisskopf gets to know the Soldiers of Ward 57 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and shares their emotional experiecnes with us. A must read. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 2334 zulu | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink
This post is filed under: GWOT & Heroes & My Bookshelf
Front-Line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A MUST READ. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 0601 zulu | Comments & Trackbacks (7) | Permalink
This post is filed under: All Things Blog & My Bookshelf
From time to time I’m sent books to read and review from various publishing houses. The most recent novel sent to me was One Drop of Blood, by Thomas Holland, from Simon & Schuster Publishers.
This is a great read. Mr. Holland does an outstanding job of taking the reader into the world of forensic science while unraveling a cold case of murder vicariously through a pair of fascinating characters. CSI’s got nothing on One Drop of Blood. I highly recommend this book. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 1803 zulu | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink
This post is filed under: My Bookshelf
While I’m recommending books by bloggers, allow me to direct your attention to one written by a real Soldier’s Angel, Holly Aho. She’s put together a wonderful collection of inspirational, heartfelt, and true stories as told from the perspective of those who live the mantra, “support the troops.” But don’t take my word for it.
And if nothing else, stop by to wish her a happy birthday and congratulations on some other fantastic news. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 1336 zulu | Comments & Trackbacks (2) | Permalink
This post is filed under: Heroes & My Bookshelf
This guy is a great writer and has had his novel, Army Porn, rejected by the big publishers on more than a few attempts and has now decided to post the work on his blog for all to read. Why don’t you stop in and give it a read. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 0207 zulu | Comments & Trackbacks (2) | Permalink
This post is filed under: All Things Blog & My Bookshelf
Just finished reading The Military Advantage by Christopher P. Michel (the founder of Military.com) and I feel compelled to let you know that this is a must for anyone remotely connected with the military. Within the pages of this book you will find all the answers to questions you might have, and might not yet have, regarding military benefits. Michel does an outstanding job of including helpful reference urls throught the book.
The Military Advantage, published by Simon & Schuster, is a must for any servicemember’s bookshelf. Sgt Hook out.
Posted by Hook @ 0114 zulu | Comments & Trackbacks (1) | Permalink
This post is filed under: My Bookshelf
