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MWSA Review
This memoir begins with the author explaining why he joined the Navy in high school. He gives a detailed description of every step in the enlistment process, as well as every day he spent in boot camp and apprentice training in San Diego. It was there that he first experienced his favorite part of being in the Navy: liberty.
After apprentice training and leaving home, the author flew to meet up with his ship, the USS Fresno. It was participating in WestPac 1988 in the Philippines. He continues to describe every day in detail, with an emphasis on his favorite time: liberty. In less than a week, the ship headed out to sea, where they found themselves in the middle of a typhoon. From there they went to Guam, Pearl Harbor, and then to Long Beach. The USS Fresno remained in Long Beach from December 1988 through December 1989.
In January 1990, the USS Fresno deployed for the six-month WestPac 1990, and the author resumes his daily descriptions. Over the next several months, they went back and forth between Japan and the Philippines. Then they went to Hong Kong and Singapore. On their way from Singapore to Thailand they crossed the equator and the author participated in the Shellback Initiation, which sounds like an intense fraternity hazing ritual. From there it was back to the Philippines, Hawaii, and Long Beach. The author’s last day in the Navy was the day the USS Fresno docked in Long Beach.
The rest of the book covers the author’s time in college and the Naval Reserves, including two weeks back on the USS Fresno in Long Beach and a nightmare trip for training in Chicago in January. He finally completed all his Naval service in August 1995. There are four Epilogues with minimal information about what happened in the author’s life from the time he left the Navy until he published this book.
I would have liked to learn more about the author’s life after he finished his Navy service, especially how he overcame his addiction to alcohol.
Review by Eva Nevarez St John
Author's Synopsis
A 17-year-old kid from Wyoming joins the Navy to earn money for college and ends up gaining an education he didn’t expect. Welcome To The Jungle is a no-holds-barred coming-of-age tale of how a boy became a man in the U.S. Navy. Follow the author from his decision to join the Navy through boot camp and out to the fleet aboard the USS Fresno (LST-1182) and his adventures in the Western Pacific, and finally into the Navy Reserves. Read the real-life stories of what the Navy was like for an enlisted kid in the late 80's and early 90's. This collection of stories, memories, and journal entries documents a boy's transition into manhood and beyond. If you've ever wondered what being in the Navy was REALLY like, this book holds the answers.
Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 600 / 284,230