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Main Street Books, St. Charles, MO
Indiebound.org
Amazon.com
Barnes&Noble.com
Late in 1941, Preston Katt enlisted in the US Navy to escape a hard life with no prospects back home. On the morning of December 7th, Katt is starboard lookout as his ship gets underway during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Preston is a boot and doesn’t know how to stand the post. An experienced sailor should have been at the post to instruct the new man, but Seaman Moriarity left to grab a submachine gun to fire at enemy planes.
Sampson poked his head out the door of the pilothouse and hollered at him. “There’s a Jap sub inside the harbor. Understand? Inside the harbor. Find it.” A disgusted expression came over the boatswain’s face, and he charged onto the lookout station, pulled binoculars out of the aluminum bin, and thrust them into Katt’s hand. “Find the ****** sub.”
Katt pulled the eyepiece covers off, glanced around for a place to put them, and finally dropped them in the storage bin.
Through the binocs, the world was blurry. ****. Focus knob. He rolled the knob one way and then the other. The world crystallized sharp and--
A straight silver line on the surface of the blue harbor was pointing right at the Callahan. He’d never seen one before, but there was no question about what it was.
“Torpedo! Dead ahead!” Katt bellowed into the brass tube.
The torpedo had them nailed. It was going to strike the bow. Over the voice tube, he heard, “Hard left rudder. Engines ahead flank.”
The bow started swinging left, away from pointing directly at the torpedo. Then the bow stopped. Now the torpedo was coming right for where Katt stood. It would strike exactly beneath him.
Katt closed his eyes. O my God, I am heartily sorry. I’ve been whoring. I’ve been drinking. I cussed. I didn’t send money to Momma.
Main Street Books, St. Charles, MO
Indiebound.org
Amazon.com
Barnes&Noble.com
Late in 1941, Preston Katt enlisted in the US Navy to escape a hard life with no prospects back home. On the morning of December 7th, Katt is starboard lookout as his ship gets underway during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Preston is a boot and doesn’t know how to stand the post. An experienced sailor should have been at the post to instruct the new man, but Seaman Moriarity left to grab a submachine gun to fire at enemy planes.
Sampson poked his head out the door of the pilothouse and hollered at him. “There’s a Jap sub inside the harbor. Understand? Inside the harbor. Find it.” A disgusted expression came over the boatswain’s face, and he charged onto the lookout station, pulled binoculars out of the aluminum bin, and thrust them into Katt’s hand. “Find the ****** sub.”
Katt pulled the eyepiece covers off, glanced around for a place to put them, and finally dropped them in the storage bin.
Through the binocs, the world was blurry. ****. Focus knob. He rolled the knob one way and then the other. The world crystallized sharp and--
A straight silver line on the surface of the blue harbor was pointing right at the Callahan. He’d never seen one before, but there was no question about what it was.
“Torpedo! Dead ahead!” Katt bellowed into the brass tube.
The torpedo had them nailed. It was going to strike the bow. Over the voice tube, he heard, “Hard left rudder. Engines ahead flank.”
The bow started swinging left, away from pointing directly at the torpedo. Then the bow stopped. Now the torpedo was coming right for where Katt stood. It would strike exactly beneath him.
Katt closed his eyes. O my God, I am heartily sorry. I’ve been whoring. I’ve been drinking. I cussed. I didn’t send money to Momma.
Review:
Blue Ink: Riveting combat descriptions from an individual sailor’s point of view are seamlessly woven through the novel as Katt confronts Japanese bombs, torpedoes, the death of friends, and his own overly scrupulous conscience. The conclusion comes as a surprise, but readers will understand its inevitability from clues the author has left along the way. No spoilers here, you’ll have to read this story to find out what becomes of Seaman Katt. The Happy Life of Preston Katt is heartily recommended. |
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Navy Captain Pete Adler has finally attained his goals. As he arrives at San Diego harbor and bids his wife farewell, he feels the familiar magnetic pull of the ship tugging him toward his greatest naval adventure. Pete is more than ready to take over as the commanding officer of the USS Marianas. As he boards the aircraft carrier and heads for the pilothouse, Pete battles a mixture of emotions that range from pride to trepidation—all while secretly hoping he can finally leave the ghost of his father’s disapproval behind.
Pete, known for trusting his crew more than other commanders, relies on his twenty-eight years of navy experience to guide the ship out of the harbor and into the open seas. But just as the ship’s speed reaches twenty-two knots, an alarm goes off, alerting Pete to a fire in an engine room. As the massive fire intensifies, Pete attempts to lead his five-thousand-man crew, despite being haunted by horrific childhood memories and fears that his job is in jeopardy. Just when he thinks things cannot get any worse, Pete is hit with another blow—his father is dead. In this fast-paced naval adventure, one man takes an emotional journey from the present to his past, where he uncovers surprising truths about the pop he thought he knew.
Pete, known for trusting his crew more than other commanders, relies on his twenty-eight years of navy experience to guide the ship out of the harbor and into the open seas. But just as the ship’s speed reaches twenty-two knots, an alarm goes off, alerting Pete to a fire in an engine room. As the massive fire intensifies, Pete attempts to lead his five-thousand-man crew, despite being haunted by horrific childhood memories and fears that his job is in jeopardy. Just when he thinks things cannot get any worse, Pete is hit with another blow—his father is dead. In this fast-paced naval adventure, one man takes an emotional journey from the present to his past, where he uncovers surprising truths about the pop he thought he knew.
In 1966, the destroyer USS Manfred is bound for Vietnam. For junior ensign Jon Zachery, life is simple. He wants the American dream for his wife and for himself, and the navy is just the first step along the way. After the ship enters the combat zone, however, Zachery lands in hot water with his superior officers. At the same time, he begins to have troubles with his wife. He finds himself in challenging combat situations with the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong, but he is most distressed when he discovers that one of his roommates is rabidly anti-war. Following two months in the combat zone, the ship gets a new commanding officer—and a new set of problems face Zachery and his shipmates. At first, his new commanding officer distrusts only the five ensigns in the ensign locker, but eventually he begins to distrust the entire wardroom. What happens next has a huge affect on the entire crew—ultimately resulting in the ship returning home to San Diego. Now Zachery must face the anti-war sentiments at home, and it may be the last straw for him.
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Jon Zachery was disgusted with his generation. Most of them burned bras and draft cards and militated furiously and mindlessly against anything “establishment.” Because of them, Jon volunteered to be a Navy pilot. It was his patriotic duty.
In March of 1968, Jon and his family moved to Meridian, Mississippi, where student aviators received basic jet training. At church on their first Sunday in town, Jon and his wife Teresa stepped into the middle of a KKK campaign to intimidate civil rights sympathizers. That Sunday night, Klansmen nailed a threat to the door of Zachery’s house. Navy authorities were convinced that the local police would protect Zachery’s family.
Jon’s pursuit of a flying career did not go smoothly. He had run-ins with an antagonistic flight instructor named Refly and an encounter with anti-war protestors that turned into a public affairs disaster. In the meantime, Klansmen escalated the violence in their campaign against civil rights agitators. They hadn’t forgotten Jon, either and attacked the Zachery home. Police, and Jon, killed three of the four attackers.
The surviving Klansman was wounded by Jon, wanted revenge and followed him to his next phase of training in Pensacola for a final confrontation.
Five months in Meridian tested Zachery’s faith, patriotism, physical and moral courage and love for his family.
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In March of 1968, Jon and his family moved to Meridian, Mississippi, where student aviators received basic jet training. At church on their first Sunday in town, Jon and his wife Teresa stepped into the middle of a KKK campaign to intimidate civil rights sympathizers. That Sunday night, Klansmen nailed a threat to the door of Zachery’s house. Navy authorities were convinced that the local police would protect Zachery’s family.
Jon’s pursuit of a flying career did not go smoothly. He had run-ins with an antagonistic flight instructor named Refly and an encounter with anti-war protestors that turned into a public affairs disaster. In the meantime, Klansmen escalated the violence in their campaign against civil rights agitators. They hadn’t forgotten Jon, either and attacked the Zachery home. Police, and Jon, killed three of the four attackers.
The surviving Klansman was wounded by Jon, wanted revenge and followed him to his next phase of training in Pensacola for a final confrontation.
Five months in Meridian tested Zachery’s faith, patriotism, physical and moral courage and love for his family.
Read more...