<p>"Once an Eagle"</p>
<p>Has to do with the Army, but this is a book that should be read by every officer in the military, every person in the military for that matter.
Don't be a Massengale.</p>
<p>It's Hollywood!!!</p>
<p>Even if the movie wasn't done in the Yard and was nothing close to the real student life, and even if the main character didn't go through the nom application process but instead got his nom by bugging the congressman for however-many-days straight, which wouldn't happen in real life either, I'd say that the movie made for some dang good, pretty clean entertainment and gave the Academy a lot of publicity. Point in case, nomination requests for USNA are through the roof this year for GA's senators, compared to previous years, I think more than double of last year's. It just might be because a few people who saw the movie decided to try to get in, thinking that it looked like a cool place to go.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that means that those of us who were serious about going before the movie came out are suddenly greeted with alot more competition for those noms and appts.</p>
<p>Meh. Happens every now and then.</p>
<p>It happened after "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Top Gun". I was part of the latter wave. Had it not been for Mr. Cruise and Company, I may have gotten straight in rather than having to detour through NAPS.</p>
<p>Oh, well. That's life. :)</p>
<p>Yeah. It's all part of the challenge, and sometimes having to wait makes us more grateful in the long run once we reach our goals.</p>
<p>Anybody reading anything good lately pertaining to the military, USNA, USN, academies, etc?</p>
<p>Thanks to recommendations from our forum I've been read the John McCain book Faith of My Fathers (interesting) and The Things They Carried (Fascinating and beautifully written). </p>
<p>Here is CNO's list:
<a href="http://www.usna.edu/Library/Navy_Professional_Reading_Program.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.usna.edu/Library/Navy_Professional_Reading_Program.html</a></p>
<p>....and Uncle Sam's Misguided Childrens' list (USMC)
<a href="http://www.usna.edu/Library/Marineread.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.usna.edu/Library/Marineread.html</a></p>
<p>...and "A Reading List for Life", books recommended by the USNA faculty <a href="http://www.usna.edu/LibExhibits/Readinglist/Fullreading.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.usna.edu/LibExhibits/Readinglist/Fullreading.htm</a> </p>
<p>Below is our prior List (all from this post and others I remembered). I'm sure I missed a lot. If anyone wants to add, copy and paste:</p>
<p>Naval Academy Candidate Book by William Smallwood
Absolutely American by David Lipsky
A Sense of Honor by James Webb
Brief Points by Ross McKenzie
A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy by John Feinstein
First Class: Women Join the Ranks at the Naval Academy by Sharon H. Disher
The Official United States Naval Academy Workout book by Flach and Peck
Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way by Johnson and Harper
The Return of Philo T. McGiffin by David Poyer
Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley
Message to Garcia
Annapolis Autumn by Bruce Fleming
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O'Brien
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Gods and General by Jeff Shaara
The Last Full Measure by Jeff Shaara
Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko
Biggest Brother: The Life of Dick Winters by Larry Alexander
Sun-Tzu: The Art of War by Sun Tzu
On War by Karl Von Clausewitz
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Class 29: The Making of U.S. NAvy Seals by John Roat
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
Chesty by John Hoffman
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. LAwrence
We Were Soldiers Once and Young by Moore and Galloway
Run Silent, Run Deep by Edward Beech
Rogue Trident by John Hindinger
Bacalao by J.T. McDaniel
Target Lock by James Cobb
Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts
The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman
Fields of Fire by James Webb
Jarhead by Anthony Swofford
Faith of My Fathers by John McCain</p>
<p>
[quote]
Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I was under the impression that Dick Marcinko was banned by the Naval Academy because he is a "bad" example for the midshipmen.</p>
<p>i have the pleasure of having CDR Disher's daughter as my plebe, in my squad both this and last semester. Very spunky.</p>
<p>Prof. Fleming's book is rather controversial, but he's a highly amusing personality on the yard-reading his book can give you an idea what kind of an ego some of your future profs may have.</p>
<p>and the movie, while totally inaccurate, was certainly good for a laugh.</p>
<p>I seem to remember from a prior thread that they bought his book(s) in mass quantities anyway! :)</p>
<p>I just finished Letters from Annapolis, loaned the book to the boy, and haven't seen it since. It was a good historical trip. Short read.</p>
<p>I would STRONGLY STRONGLY recommend the Naval Academy Candidate Book by William Smallwood to anyone thinking about applying to the academy. I believe there is a new one coming out that is more up to date but it basically gives you a how to in terms of applying. It is up to you to apply it though.</p>
<p>One Bullet Away, The Making of a Marine Officer by Nathaniel Fick</p>
<p>Went through OCS summer of Junior year at Dartmouth. An Infantry Officer and then a Recon Marine, he served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.</p>
<p>The Aide de Camp for Sec Army suggested "Gates of Fire" and "Once an Eagle" as books that provide great insight into the challenges of leadership to a USMMA Midshipman who will be interning in that office this Fall.</p>
<p>I would also suggest "The Pentagon's New Map" by Thomas P.M. Barnett. He is part of every breif for incoming appointees at the Pentagon and newly minted Flag Officers. It is an intersting take on the next generation of conflict and peace.</p>
<p>Great additions! I alphabetized.....I am home sick today and BORED!</p>
<p>A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy by John Feinstein
A Sense of Honor by James Webb
Absolutely American by David Lipsky
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque
Annapolis Autumn by Bruce Fleming
Bacalao by J.T. McDaniel
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way by Johnson and Harper
Biggest Brother: The Life of Dick Winters by Larry Alexander
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
Brief Points by Ross McKenzie
Chesty by John Hoffman
Class 29: The Making of U.S. NAvy Seals by John Roat
Faith of My Fathers by John McCain
Fields of Fire by James Webb
First Class: Women Join the Ranks at the Naval Academy by Sharon H. Disher
Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley
Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield
Gods and General by Jeff Shaara
Guns of August, The by Barbara Tuchman
Hunt for Red October, The by Tom Clancy
If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O'Brien
Jarhead by Anthony Swofford
Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Last Full Measure, The by Jeff Shaara
Letters from Annapolis by Anne Marie Drew
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
Message to Garcia
Naval Academy Candidate Book by William Smallwood
On War by Karl Von Clausewitz
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
One Bullet Away, The Making of a Marine Officer by Nathaniel Fick
Pentagon's New Map by Thomas P.M. Barnett
Return of Philo T. McGiffin, The by David Poyer
Rogue Trident by John Hindinger
Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko
Run Silent, Run Deep by Edward Beech
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Sun-Tzu: The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Target Lock by James Cobb
The Official United States Naval Academy Workout book by Flach and Peck
Things They Carried, The by Tim O'Brien
We Were Soldiers Once and Young by Moore and Galloway</p>
<p>Wheelah, how cool that you mentor CDR Disher's daughter. She is a lucky plebe indeed.</p>
<p>Another great read to add to the list is </p>
<p>Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage by Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, and Annette Lawrence Drew</p>
<p>All Americans follows a few of the football players who played in the Army/Navy game right before Pearl Harbor. </p>
<p>An aside, Joe Galloway came to speak to the plebes during my son's plebe summer</p>
<p>One More</p>
<p>The Nightingale's Song by Robert Timberg</p>
<p>It is about the interconnected lives of McCain, Webb, North, McFarlane, and Poindexter.</p>
<p>Timberg is USNA Class of '64</p>
<p>I read a book my senior year called "Darkside", a fictional drama murder mystery focusing on the naval academy. Only a potential plebe might find it interesting.</p>
<p>I definitely second the earlier rec with First Class! i'm on the third time around with that one!! it's awesome! good insight from a females perspective plus what they had to deal with as being the first class of women [my dad was a firstie their plebe year...he had different opinions on the book..] but overall--check that out!
second rec would be Annapolis Autumn--it's written by a current Professor @ USNA (Bruce Fleming). it's not the typical academy book, as in, it's not written from a mid's point of view--but instead the teacher. it's a good read..the author is very opinionated--my midshipman host for the Jan CVW actually had Mr.Fleming as her English Prof. and I sat in on the class...verrry interesting...if you have him next year you'll totally understand what i mean...</p>
<p>happy reading</p>