Pickleloaf.com : Books : Destroyer Captain: Lessons of a First Command


Books : Destroyer Captain: Lessons of a First Command In association with Amazon.com Rating: - Navy Command - not as I know it As a former Navy service member I looked forward to reading this book. I wanted to see what someone else's experiences in command were, particularly on an new destroyer. The book was a real disappointment. I'm not sure how this officer made it to flag rank, he must have more chops than are exhibited in this book. He relates the significant accomplishments of the ship (which were certainly significant) but the tone of the book is rather off putting. The man is self-deprecating to a fault. He seems to have great second thoughts about his ability to command and whether he will be successful. Generally, all the officers and sailors in his book are "outstanding" in all ways, there are few descriptions of incompetent officers and with the exception of descriptions of incompetent enlisted men...everyone is seemingly perfect for the most part. About halfway through the book I just wanted to finish it and be done with it. I usually hand off books to friends, this one went to Goodwill. Rating: - first-rate stuff This is a first-rate book. I am delighted I read it. I found it to be touching, informative, funny, and readable. It also confirms, once again, what I think of those in the American military----they are very good people, and dedicated professionals. It is not surprising to note that Admiral Stavridis is an avid reader. It shows in his selection of books, and in his writing. If you don't read, you can't write well, and he writes well. I respect the way he is in touch with history, and literature. I also respect the way he is in touch with reality---he cares about those under his command, and he takes every bit of his job seriously. I was interested in the Admiral's observations about the Middle East, and the problems America has there. The book was written before 9/11, and some of the observations caught my attention. He noted that Iran is the real problem in the region, which is hardly a surprise. He also wrote that it might be useful to turn Iraq into a democracy as a challenge to Iran. I gather this idea was around a long time before George W. Bush adopted it. I do not know if its right or wrong. The "surge" seems to be effective, after all, and it might just work out. it would be interesting to know what Admiral Stavridis thinks about it now. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in naval history, naval warfare, and history in general. It is well worth reading. Rating: - Destroyer Captain Adm. Stavridis takes the reader aboard the destroyer Barry with a day to day briefing. He shares his hopes, many fears , and his personal life. He is able to convey the constant pressure from the sea, his superiors,and the members of his crew, during his command. After reading Adm. Stavridis'diary, one has a new appreciation of the dedication of our service men and women for the defense of the United States. Rating: - Destroyer Captain: Lessons of a First Command Everyone needs a hero in life, Jim is one of mine. He is more than just a great writer, demonstrative leader, caring father, and compassionate husband; he is a great human being. This book brought back many wonderful memories from a special time in my life and I appreciate the author's candor. Semper Fi Jim Stavridis! Stan Brown (former CSMM/CMC in BARRY) Rating: - Five Stars for a Four Star You...will...love...this...book. But only if you want to know of honesty, humility, humor, the courage of everyday acts of service by others, and the peaks and valleys of leadership. Not to mention wonderful writing, anecdotes, and insights by a distinguished military commander writing as a young officer, a decade and a half before pinning on the four-stars of an admiral. If you want a great book about the wanderings of a homesick warrior with duties he must discharge before being reunited with his family, Homer's "Odyssey" is pretty tough to beat. If you are looking for a primer on leadership, Stephen Covey's "7 Habits..." is the blockbuster choice of millions. For inspirational stories of ships and men and the sea, Jack London, Patrick O'Brien and a few others invented and nurtured a timeless genre. For a personal catalog of humility and insignificance against the greatness of life and a higher power, "The Confessions of St. Augustine" are available. And then there is "Destroyer Captain," which has a tincture of these works and more, is entirely accessible, and a terrific read. Painfully well-written, poignant, and complete, this book opens a window onto a world that hums along with quiet, powerful, efficient ordinariness everyday across the globe: the U.S. Navy defending the empire of liberty. Jim Stavridis, one of our nation's most senior military officers, has published the journals he kept while a first-time captain at sea in the mid-1990s. Stavridis is a friend of many years, and someone I know to be of great good humor and a fine leader. Even so, there is nothing like the well written word for true insight. Stavridis gives brutally raw honesty as he describes his expectations, his fears, his longing for home and hearth while thousands of miles away, and the timeless bonds that develop among the crew of a ship at sea. Stavridis paints with equal skill in bold brush strokes and pointillist precision as he colors the everyday routine at sea, and the non-stop demands on the captain. As he puts it -- and the book is infused with the obviousness of it -- "for no one is the term service more applicable than the commanding officer who is doing his job." Stavridis describes in wonderful detail -- and with an easy but extraordinarily fine style -- the 24/7 nature of what it means to be a captain of a weapon-packed man of war, with a crew whose average age is probably about 22 years old, and the captain himself in his thirties. He describes what it is like to sit in judgment of others at "captain's mast," the navy's unique system of self-discipline that reaches back to ancient times. Forget what you may think you know of the all-powerful captain at sea; here's the real deal as Stavridis describes a mast at which he restricted to the ship a young petty officer who had been thrown in jail for a shoreside brawl: "As the captain's mast concluded, I walked out, feeling diminished myself. Judgment is the hardest of human tasks..." But this is no "woe is me for the burdens of command" cri de coeur. The book fairly tingles with the sheer pleasure Stavridis takes in being "the captain." He knows he is a lucky man, having been entrusted with the most advanced warship ever built, a crew of 350 men he clearly loves, and ordered by his country to ply "the magic monotony of existence between sky and water," as Stavridis quotes Conrad. An avid reader, Stavridis writes of his early decision to sit in his elevated chair on the bridge of the ship while at sea, generally observing the daily routines but benignly ignoring them as he reads -- not from important dispatches or operational manuals, but "a good novel." Why? "I think it's important to show the younger folk that (a) reading matters and, more important, that (b) it is a good deal being the captain. If I can't communicate the joy of command to my wardroom, why would any of them want to stick around? It sure isn't for the pay!" Captain Bligh, step aside. You have been relieved as proto-typical literary commander at sea. READ THIS BOOK and know about duty, honor, country...and seasickness, liberty call, carving turkeys for a Thanksgiving dinner of 350, and lots lots more.