the value of courage, one of Cutler’s stories is that of African-American Navy diver Carl Brashear, who refused to allow his career to be derailed by the loss of a leg during a March 1966 sal- vage operation off the coast of Spain. Brashear was determined to remain a sailor, refusing to take medical dis- ability and convincing the powers that be that he deserved to continue. Master Chief Brashear’s story was reported in the riveting 2000 film, “Men of Honor,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. Another of the book’s striking de- scriptions involves some of the work of Navy sailors in the aftermath of the ter- rorism that occurred Sept. 11, 2001, and how the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom, “moved effortlessly across the black surface of the Arabian Sea” to strike at terrorist masterminds in Afghanistan. The Enterprise crew actually had been headed home across the Atlantic on Sept. 9 from a six-month deployment, but gladly accepted the captain’s order to turnaround on hearing the news of 9-11.
“Over the next several weeks, En-
terprise’s Sailors displayed the courage needed to carry out their commitment to defend their nation with honor as they ran sortie after sortie into Afghani- stan,” Cutler wrote.
Recommended titles on the Navy reading program list include Cyber War by Rich- ard Clarke and Navigating the Seven Seas by Melvin Williams Jr. and Melvin Williams
Sr.More about the Navy reading program can be found at
www.navyreading.navy.mil.
Along with exploits and battles, Cutler covers Navy life and hardships, jargon, operations and civility. Written in a chapter describing
www.blackengineer.com
How Cutler describes the Navy’s approach to “sustenance” also offers a view into Navy life. Food, in the sail- or’s jargon, was “tack,” Cutler writes, outlining how sailors’ mess halls func- tioned for the betterment of the crew. A huge challenge sailors had was keeping food from spoiling on their ships. Cutler’s goal in stories such as sus- tenance seems to give a greater under- standing of the life of the sailor. As an author, he does his job by also impart-
ing Navy history — both successes and mistakes — that chronicles what the U.S. Navy means to the nation. Cutler served in a number of roles in his naval career, including in patrol craft, cruisers, destroyers and aircraft carriers. His assignments stretched from a Vietnam tour to nine years at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, including as executive assistant to the chairman of the Seamanship & Navi- gation Department. In retirement, he founded the Walbrook Maritime Acad- emy in Baltimore and has been a fleet professor of strategy and policy with the Naval War College and director of professional publishing at the U.S. Naval Institute.
Cutler has written a number of other military-focused books and regu- larly serves as a panelist and speaker on military history.
The Professional Reading Pro- gram of the Chief of Naval Operations is a means for encouraging sailors to develop a life-long habit of reading and learning. In fact, reading programs are central to all the service branches. The Army, Air Force and Marines all have their lists.
The Chief of Naval Operations selects titles that are “Essential” and “Recommended.” Books cover his- tory, fiction, inspirational and patriotic titles and military strategy and theory. According to the reading program’s website, the selection of titles seeks to offer readers an opportunity to gain understanding not only of the Navy, but greater society. Two books on the list reviewed in this space in recent months have been Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security by Richard Clarke and Navigating the Seven Seas by father-and-son Navy men Melvin Wil- liams Jr. and Melvin Williams Sr.
USBE&IT I WINTER 2012 59
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