Böcker av Stephen Leal Jackson

How did a sixteen year old Arkansas plowboy with an eighth-grade education find his way into the United States submarine service and onto the frontline of America's naval war against Imperial Japan? For George Jones that path lay through the hardships of the Great Depression, around some of the rules and restrictions of enlistment, and into a Navy unprepared for the battles that lay ahead. During his service on a supply ship in the Asiatic Fleet, he watched the Japanese war machine grind across the Chinese mainland. Hard work, brains, and savvy helped George transfer to the submarine service where he made three war patrols on antique "S" boats and four more on the USS Pogy, a modern fleet-type sub. Firsthand accounts of the seldom told pre-war Navy, of life on a World War I era submarine, and of the terror and triumph of undersea battle are detailed in this autobiographic tale.

Submarine duty during World War II was one of the most statistically deadly, physically demanding, and emotionally challenging assignments in the U. S. Navy. The boats had few crew comforts, and war patrols, typically thirty to sixty days in length, were so exhausting that the submarine sailors often got a month of rest after each patrol. What would motivate men to volunteer for this unmistakably difficult and dangerous job? This is the question that The Men will answer using the oral histories of enlisted submarine veterans, a collection of letters of one sailor who did not return, and other primary sources. These volunteers, from diverse locales and backgrounds, ignored the danger, accepted the privations, and exalted in the camaraderie. Their excitement, fear, and humble heroism is captured in their own words; the real story of the undersea war in the Pacific told by the men who fought it. A veteran of the United States Navy, Stephen Leal Jackson spent eight years in the submarine force serving on the USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) and the USS Florida (SSBN 728). Jackson's service included several Western Pacific cruises to the oceans, lands, and ports described in The Men. A lifelong student of American history, Jackson's ongoing research concentrates specifically on World Wars I and II. Jackson received his Master of Arts in American History from Providence College and is currently in the Ph.D. program at Salve Regina University. Jackson has served as the primary spokesperson for a major electrical utility on nuclear and environmental issues. His unique perspective as a onetime navy enlisted submariner, trained historian, and skilled communicator allows Jackson to provide clear and easy access to the fascinating experiences of the men who fought the undersea battles during World War II.