Naval Stories

Use this forum to discuss the November 2019 Book of the month, "Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath", by Randy Miller.
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Re: Naval Stories

Post by Adedayo+23 »

Hester3 wrote: 12 Nov 2019, 14:11 I just started reading the book, but what stood out to me was that the characters did not really care what their shipmates' background was. They would only start to ask personal questions once the first bonds of friendship has already been laid. It is as if the military is a great equalizer, where the only distinction between men is their job title and rank.
Spot on.
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Post by Samy Lax »

I am yet to finish reading this book, but the one scene that stands out in my mind is the voyage to Olongapo, crossing the unfortunately named River. There are a number of other scenes too that I could better talk about once I am done reading.
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Post by Nym182 »

If you enjoyed this book, you may enjoy "In Harm's Way" by Douglas Stanton - It tells the true story of the USS Indianapolis sinking and how the men on the ship survived... It's pretty intense but in the best way!
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Post by Nuel Ukah »

djr6090 wrote: 04 Nov 2019, 11:00 So far, the most vivid scene was the trip from the harbor to Olongapo over the 'sh*t River.' My husband tells me that there were little Phillipino children who would taunt the sailors to toss coins over the edge of the bridge, and then dive into that mess to retrieve them. In reality, they had a net stretched below the surface that caught the coins, and they had a coin in their hand when they jumped in. They would harvest the money from the net just after dark. My husband's buddies gave him no end of ribbing for falling for these tricks.
Wow! Sounds interesting and smart. And dirty. LOL.
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Post by Nuel Ukah »

My favorite part is the slapsies game.
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Post by Erin Dydek »

I liked the different dynamics between the crew of the Hawks and the crew of the Providence. Zach had two different experiences between the destroyer and the cruiser although there were some similarities that made it easier for him to transition.
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Post by Pearl Hijabi »

I have not read the book yet. But from other war novels there is action, deceit and also bonding. And I like the bonding between the soldiers a lot .
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Post by djr6090 »

Nym182 wrote: 20 Nov 2019, 18:37 If you enjoyed this book, you may enjoy "In Harm's Way" by Douglas Stanton - It tells the true story of the USS Indianapolis sinking and how the men on the ship survived... It's pretty intense but in the best way!
Thanks for the recommendation, Nym. I'll put it on my bookshelves.
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Post by Fazzier »

I liked the bond between Martin and Eastman. Eastman's induction to Martin and the more-than-work relationship that developed between the two naval soldiers.
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Post by aolayide »

jeminah28 wrote: 10 Nov 2019, 02:00 The slap game. I thought it was a joke at first, but Zack did his best. I wonder how young men sacrifice their life way back on the times of the events in the book and treated 'harshly', something like that.
I too wonder how men sacrifice their lives despite the fact that they are treated harshly.
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Post by Jeremie Mondejar »

aolayide wrote: 24 Nov 2019, 13:20
jeminah28 wrote: 10 Nov 2019, 02:00 The slap game. I thought it was a joke at first, but Zack did his best. I wonder how young men sacrifice their life way back on the times of the events in the book and treated 'harshly', something like that.
I too wonder how men sacrifice their lives despite the fact that they are treated harshly.
Maybe the captivating motto of the Naval recruiter hook them, 'Be a Navy and See the World.' In 1960s to 1970s, those days young men were eager to travel despite of hardships. I guess, they just did it for a dual purpose, they have privilege to travel at the same time trying to win the war.
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Post by AvidBibliophile »

Hester3 wrote: 12 Nov 2019, 14:11 I just started reading the book, but what stood out to me was that the characters did not really care what their shipmates' background was. They would only start to ask personal questions once the first bonds of friendship has already been laid. It is as if the military is a great equalizer, where the only distinction between men is their job title and rank.
You make an excellent point about how the members of any military unit start out by simply being a collection of last names in close vicinity. Basic training is firmly rooted in the principles of breaking everyone down in initiation, giving the powers-at-be full control of how each soldier, cadet, or seaman is built back up. A great equalizer it certainly is.
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Post by Jeremie Mondejar »

Fazzier wrote: 24 Nov 2019, 03:32 I liked the bond between Martin and Eastman. Eastman's induction to Martin and the more-than-work relationship that developed between the two naval soldiers.
It seems that friendship bonds them for a lifetime. They can relate to their struggles, likes and jobs, in a sense that they don't like to be separated, but they must continue to have their own lives.
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Post by LyorBoone »

djr6090 wrote: 04 Nov 2019, 11:00 So far, the most vivid scene was the trip from the harbor to Olongapo over the 'sh*t River.' My husband tells me that there were little Phillipino children who would taunt the sailors to toss coins over the edge of the bridge, and then dive into that mess to retrieve them. In reality, they had a net stretched below the surface that caught the coins, and they had a coin in their hand when they jumped in. They would harvest the money from the net just after dark. My husband's buddies gave him no end of ribbing for falling for these tricks.
Wow, that's some pretty cool insight. Of course, I usually think of nets as tools for fishing. And as such, I generally imagine them as too large to hold coins, but I guess nets for small fish would do the trick. Naturally, I wonder how the children came up with the strategy.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme” - Mark Twain. Dare we say the same thing about every story that gets told in the world?
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Post by Zeix »

jeminah28 wrote: 10 Nov 2019, 02:00 The slap game. I thought it was a joke at first, but Zack did his best. I wonder how young men sacrifice their life way back on the times of the events in the book and treated 'harshly', something like that.
This sounds hilarious :lol:
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