In Review

The Bravest Man: The Story of Richard O'Kane & U.S. Submariners in the Pacific War
By William Tuohy. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-2767-4.

For an American submarine crew in the Pacific in World War II, smoke on the horizon meant good hunting. And William Tuohy's new book, The Bravest Man, means good reading.

Tuohy is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a war correspondent who brings a dramatic and refreshing perspective to the remarkable history of submarine warfare in the Pacific during World War II. This is his fourth book, following Dangerous Company (William Morrow, 1987).

The "bravest man" in this story is Richard O'Kane, a U.S. Navy submariner who became the most highly decorated U.S. naval officer of the war. O'Kane, commanding officer of the uss Tang, sank 27 enemy ships, with eight Japanese ships sunk during just one combat patrol. In late 1944, the Tang sank herself with an errant torpedo that circled and came back to strike the sub during a surface attack. Only nine crew members, including O'Kane, survived.

Tuohy's portrayal of O'Kane reveals a man of unparalleled courage, strong leadership, and an aggressive, innovative approach to command in war. Tuohy also points out that O'Kane was an audacious free spirit, a maverick who confounded his superiors with his unconventional tactics and his complaints about faulty equipment like the dangerously ineffective Mark 14 torpedo. O'Kane was beloved by his crew for his firm hand, professionalism, and compassion, as well as perhaps for the unauthorized ice cream machine and still that were aboard the sub.

By war's end, U.S. submarines in the Pacific had sunk 5 million tons of Japanese merchant shipping and 600,000 tons of enemy warships. Of the 288 U.S. subs in the war, 52 were sunk and 3,500 men lost. Tuohy's captivating story highlights the sacrifices of the submariners and brings stark meaning to the dreaded words "overdue, presumed lost."

True Men & Traitors: From the OSS to the CIA, My Life in the Shadows
By David W. Doyle. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-41608-8.

The world's second-oldest profession is espionage, and there is no shortage of books about spies and their often romanticized adventures.

In an age when surveillance satellites, computers, and electronic eavesdropping gadgets get the headlines, author David Doyle reminds us that human intelligence, gathered by agents, is still an essential element in the black art of spying.

Doyle is a retired cia agent whose career was spent in the Clandestine Services section of the agency. His new book is part spook memoir and part commentary on the continued need for state espionage and the ethical and effective use of agents. This is Doyle's second book, after his spy novel An Accurate Watch (William Morrow, 1990).

With 28 years of experience in the intelligence field, Doyle is an ardent cheerleader for the cia and the value of field agents. This book focuses on people, not technology, and it offers fascinating insight into how the cia operated during the Cold War period from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Doyle has divided the book into three distinct parts. The first part concerns his career as a spy, beginning with the Office of Strategic Services in Europe during World War II. He was a low-level operator working with Allied and resistance forces in France, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Later, after joining the cia, he was posted to exotic and turbulent stations in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

In the second section, Doyle tells of American traitors within the cia, men who sold their souls and the lives of their colleagues to the kgb (the former Russian secret police and intelligence agency) for money, betraying the loyalty and trust of their country and countrymen. He mentions famous traitors like Aldrich Ames and Harold Nicholson as well as less well-known but equally devastating betrayals by Philip Agee and Edward Lee Howard. As expected, Doyle has harsh words for traitors and the weak agency leadership that permitted such treachery.

The last section deals with Doyle's convincing arguments for the continued support of state espionage and for the proper, ethical use of agents involved in human intelligence. He discusses the motivations for recruitment and the character flaws that make agents vulnerable in such dangerous work, acknowledging that sometimes they must deal with unsavory and brutal contacts.

Best are Doyle's anecdotes of his own espionage work in the Far East, the Belgian Congo, Burundi, Senegal, and Brussels. His tales of disguises and agent meetings are hilarious, as are his stories of audio operations (bugging foreign embassies).

"I found breaking and entering into hostile buildings for Uncle Sam with the intent of bugging them to be a fascinating challenge," he explains.

Despite the pratfalls, Doyle did sweat the outcome of some hazardous jobs because "it takes only one idiot to foul up an operation."

Doyle's experiences are 30 years old, but they still offer an exciting portrayal of the gritty, unpublicized work of a cia field agent. It is not James Bond or Maxwell Smart but more the story of a capable Everyman who could do a risky job well and still keep his mouth shut.

— Reviews by William D. Bushnell

Member Books

Fiction

Stark's Crusade. By Lt. Cmdr. John G. Hemry, USN-Ret.
The final book in a trilogy of science fiction extrapolating a time in the not-too-distant future where micromanagement has largely destroyed a generation of military officers. U.S. forces on the moon mutiny to save themselves and the colony they're sworn to protect. Unwilling to fight other Americans, acting commander Stark and his forces repel attacks ordered by corrupt politicians and a mindless bureaucracy while trying to remain true to their oaths to the Constitution.
Ace Books, 375 Hudson Street, NY, NY 10014. www.penguinputnam.com. ISBN 0-441-00915-8. 263 pp. $5.99 plus postage.

The Master, The Miracle, and Malchus: A Biblical Adventure. By Capt. Robert F. Otti, USA-Ret.
The Bible tells of Malchus, the Chief Priest's Gentile slave who was ordered to put his hands on Jesus to arrest him. But as he did this, the disciple, Peter, drew his sword and sliced off Malchus' ear. Miraculously, Jesus then fully restored it. Intrigued by this story, Otti often wondered what happened to Malchus after this incident and weaves this unique biblical adventure to satisfy his curiosity.
Leathers Publishing, 4500 College Blvd., Leawood, KS 66211. (888) 888-7696. ISBN 1-58597-113-8. 259 pp. $19.00 postpaid.

Il Comandante. By Lt. Col. James Solomon, USAR-Ret.
An intriguing and gripping story of a Reserve infantry officer who is doggedly followed by Italian police and Israeli agents on the trail of Nazi war criminals. The "commandante," as he is characterized, is touring Italy with his family. As he recognizes familiar areas, he describes actions that took place during World War II. Unknowingly, the colonel becomes a pawn in the hands of the police and the agents when he is perceived to have the key to bring the criminals to justice.
Available from the author. 2822 Allen St., Allentown, PA 18104. (610) 435-4963. JSAOL123@aol.com. ISBN 0-615-11244-7. 243 pp. $16.95 postpaid.

Deadly Encounters: A Novel. By Maj. Robert A. Gallinger, USA-Ret.
A chilling thriller in which an overpowering grief turns a man into a vicious killer after a doped-up tourist near Heidelberg, Germany, kills his family. The police are baffled. The killer could be a German, an American, or a tourist. The murders continue as the list of suspects dwindles, until a new clue provides a meaningful lead.
Writers Club Press, 5220 S. 16th St., Ste 200, Lincoln, NE 68512. (877) 823-9235. www.iuniverse.com. ISBN 0-595-20775-8. 292 pp. 16.95 plus postage.

Nonfiction

Enjoy Teaching: Helpful Hints for the Classroom. By Carol Gildner.
This book of helpful hints presents short subjects designed to provide fresh ideas for enjoyment and success in teaching. Gildner's 30 years of classroom experience form the basis for this teacher guide. Throughout, there are specific lessons and visual devices to provide clear, practical principles for effective teaching. The book is easily adaptable to the classroom, equally appropriate for the veteran and first-year teacher, and helpful for home school educators.
Scarecrow Education, 4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706. (800) 462-6420. www.scarecroweducation.com. ISBN 0-8108-4050-2. 192 pp. $42.50 plus postage.

Touching the Hand of Jesus. By Col. Henry L. Hunt, USA-Ret. This book is for persons who, like the disciple Thomas, need more. Thomas said that he would have to put his finger into the nail hole in Jesus' hand to believe. He did so and was able to cry, "My Lord and My God!" Hunt shares his own experiences of combat in Vietnam, then takes us to Jerusalem where he meets the Savior at the Garden Tomb. This book of Hunt's experiences encourages readers to reach out to the outstretched hand of Christ so that they too can believe.
Morris Publishing, 3212 East Hwy, Kearney, NE 68847. (800) 650-7888. www.authorsden.com/henrylamarhunt. ISBN 0-9700985-2-9. 108 pp. $15.00 postpaid.

Bruce Eugene Mills: 1944 Diary of a Bomber Pilot. Transcribed by Michael Bruce Mills and Melba Babe Mills.
In what must have been the most eventful year of his life, Mills concluded a whirlwind courtship (all of two weeks, two days, and two hours) with marriage, and then went on to fly 36 bombing missions over Europe. His diary, discovered after his death and transcribed by his widow and his son, chronicles his daily thoughts during this time.
Vantage Press Inc., 516 West 34th St., NY, NY 10001. (800) 882-3273. mmills@chartertn.net. ISBN 0-533-13875-2. 54 pp. $8.95 plus postage.

Service with a Smile and Sometimes even a Laugh: Saluting Life In and Out of the Military. By Judy Askew.
As an Army wife for 30 years, Askew's writings cover family life from a unique, humorous perspective with quips from home and far away. She is considered the Army's answer to Erma Bombeck. This collection of anecdotes will appeal to young and old, military and civilian readers alike.
McClanahan Publishing House. Available from the author, P.O. Box 308, Brookport, IL 62910. (618) 564-2943. daskew@midwest.net. ISBN 0-913383-81-3. 96 pp. $18.45 post paid.

West Point: A Bicentennial History. By Lt. Col. Theodore J. Crackel, USA-Ret. This book celebrates one of America's most prominent establishments. Crackel reveals how the academy developed to meet the needs of American expansion by integrating civil engineering into its early curriculum, and tells how cadets experienced growing sectional tensions as the nation headed toward civil war. Along the way he explains how the familiar physical presence of West Point evolved, offering new insights on decisions to adopt its classic Tudor-gothic architecture. This chronological account of West Point's history traces a number of themes: cadet and faculty life, institutional governance, curriculum development, physical expansion, growing diversity among the cadet corps, and the tensions between the school's superintendents and its academic board, who often had competing visions for the academy and its future. To understand West Point is to better understand the country that its graduates are sworn to protect and defend. This bicentennial history honors that institution and shows how it has endowed the select of America's youth with dedication to its motto: Duty, honor, country.
University Press of Kansas, 2501 West 15th St., Lawrence, KS 66049-3905. (785) 864-4154. www.kansaspress.ku.edu. ISBN 0-7006-1160-6. 384 pp. $34.95 plus postage.

Reference

First Responders Guide to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD): Practical techniques and Procedures for Responding to a Terrorist Incident Involving WMD. By Lt. Col. Jeffrey A. Adams, USA-Ret. and Stephen Marquette.
This book is designed to be a practical "shirt-pocket" reference for the first responder who could be called to a site where WMD has been employed. It is also a primer for the average citizen desiring information on techniques and procedures for surviving a domestic terrorist attack involving WMD, meaning nuclear/radiological, biological and chemical weapons. Unlike other "WMD" handbooks currently available, this one provides information on nuclear and radiological weapons as well as chemical and biological weapons.
American Society for Industrial Security, 1625 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314. (703) 519-6200. www.asisonline.org. ISBN 1-887056-15-7. 208 pp. $30.00 postpaid.

Memoirs

Marine Rifleman: Forty-Three Years in the Corps. By Col. Wesley L. Fox, USMC-Ret.
This memoir relates Medal of Honor holder Fox's experiences during his 43 years of active duty with the Marines. He served in Marine rifle companies during the Korean and Vietnamese Wars, and tells his story in 13 chapters; one for each rank held from private to colonel.
Brassey's Inc., P.O. Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172. (800) 775-2518. www.brasseysinc.com. ISBN 1-57488-425-5. 386 pp. $32.95 postpaid.