NAVY Day October 27th

 Due to Theodore Roosevelt's efforts to modernize our Navy, his birthday, October 27th is a day set aside for honoring the U.S. Navy. The birth of the U.S. Navy though fell on October 13th of 1775, when the Continental Congress voted to send out two armed sailing vessels on a path to intercept transports bringing supplies to the British army.  The Birth of the Navy of the United States

                                                              

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life by Miller, Nathan

A comprehensive biography of Teddy Roosevelt covers the twenty-sixth president's life, from his sickly childhood to San Juan Hill, to his "Big Stick" diplomacy and "Square Deal" domestic policies.

The Second Most Powerful Man in the World: The Life of Admiral William D. Leahy, Roosevelt's Chief of Staff by O'Brien, Phillips Payson 

"The life of Franklin Roosevelt's most trusted and powerful advisor, Admiral William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief"-- Provided by publisher.

John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy by Thomas, Evan

 Traces the naval hero's modest Scottish origins, the circumstances that brought him to America under a charge of murder and a false name, his sea battle achievements, and his acclaim by such figures as Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin.

The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and rowed Washington across the Delaware by O'Donnell, Patrick K.

 

 "On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced annihilation. After losing the Battle of Brooklyn, the British had Washington's army trapped against the East River. The fate of the Revolution rested heavily on the shoulders of the soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Serving side-by-side in one of the country's first diverse units, they pulled off an "American Dunkirk" and saved the army. In the annals of the American Revolution, no group played a more consequential role than the Marbleheaders. At the right time in the right place, they repeatedly altered the course of events, and their story shines new light on our understanding of the Revolution. As acclaimed historian Patrick K. O'Donnell dramatically recounts, beginning nearly a decade before the war started, Marbleheaders such as Elbridge Gerry and Azor Orne spearheaded the break with Britain and helped shape the nascent United States by playing a crucial role governing, building alliances, seizing British ships, and forging critical supply lines that established the origins of the US Navy. The Marblehead Regiment, led by John Glover, became truly indispensable. Marbleheaders battled at Lexington and on Bunker Hill and formed the elite Guard that protected George Washington. Then, at the most crucial time in the war, the regiment conveyed 2,400 of Washington's men across the ice-filled Delaware River on Christmas night of 1776, delivering a momentum-shifting surprise attack on Trenton. Later, Marblehead doctor Nathaniel Bond inoculated the Continental Army against a deadly virus, which changed the course of history. This uniquely diverse group of white, Black, and Native American soldiers set an inclusive standard of unity the US Army would not reach again for over 170 years. The Marbleheaders' story makes The Indispensables a vital addition to the literature of the American Revolution"--. Provided by publisher.

 No Hero: The Evolution of a Navy SEAL by Owen, Mark

  Recounts definitive moments from the author's career as a Navy SEAL, discussing the missions that had the greatest personal meaning for him and explaining the lessons and values he hopes to pass on to the next generation.

 Service: a Navy SEAL at War by Luttrell, Marcus

 The author, a Navy SEAL, returned from his star-crossed mission in Afghanistan with his bones shattered and his heart broken. So many had given their lives to save him, and he would have readily done the same for them. As he recuperated, he wondered why he and others, from America's founding to today, had been willing to sacrifice everything, including themselves, for the sake of family, nation, and freedom. In this book, we follow the author to Iraq, where he returns to the battlefield as a member of SEAL Team 5 to help take on the most dangerous city in the world, Ramadi, the capital of war-torn Al Anbar Province. There, in six months of high-intensity urban combat, he would be part of what has been called the greatest victory in the history of U.S. Special Operations forces. We also return to Afghanistan and Operation Redwing, where he offers powerful new details about his miraculous rescue. Throughout, he reflects on what it really means to take on a higher calling, about the men he's seen lose their lives for their country, and the legacy of those who came and bled before.

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man by Vincent, Lynn

 Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, days after delivering the components of the atomic bomb from California to the Pacific Islands in the most highly classified naval mission of the war, the USS Indianapolis is sailing alone in the center of the Philippine Sea when she is struck by two Japanese torpedoes. The ship is instantly transformed into a fiery cauldron and sinks within minutes. Some 300 men go down with the ship. Nearly 900 make it into the water alive. For the next five nights and four days, almost three hundred miles from the nearest land, the men battle injuries, sharks, dehydration, insanity, and eventually each other. Only 316 will survive. For the better part of a century, the story of USS Indianapolis has been understood as a sinking tale. The reality, however, is far more complicated. Following a decade of original research and interviews with 107 survivors and eyewitnesses, Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic tell the complete story of the ship, her crew, and their final mission to save one of their own. The survivors fight for fifty years on behalf of their skipper, Captain Charles McVay III, who is wrongly court-martialed for the sinking. The courtroom drama weaves through generations of American presidents, from Harry Truman to George W. Bush, and forever entwines the lives of three captains: McVay, whose life and career are never the same after the scandal; Mochitsura Hashimoto, the Japanese sub commander who sinks Indianapolis but later joins the battle to exonerate McVay; and William Toti, the captain of the modern-day submarine Indianapolis, who helps the survivors fight to vindicate their captain.

 

Who was Theodore Roosevelt? by Burgan, Michael

He was only 42 years old when he was sworn in as President of the United States in 1901, making him the youngest president ever. But did you know that he was also the first sitting president to win the Nobel Peace Prize? The first to ride in a car? The first to fly in an airplane? Theodore Roosevelt's achievements as a naturalist, hunter, explorer, author, and soldier are as much a part of his fame as any office he held as a politician. Find out more about The Bull Moose, the Progressive, the Rough Rider, the Trust Buster, and the Great Hunter who was our larger-than-life 26th president.

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The War that Changed American History by Kilmeade, Brian

This is the little-known story of how a newly independent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers and what happened when America's third president decided to stand up to intimidation. When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa's Barbary coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new country could afford. Over the previous fifteen years, as a diplomat and then as secretary of state, Jefferson had tried to work with the Barbary states (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco). Unfortunately, he found it impossible to negotiate with people who believed their religion justified the plunder and enslavement of non-Muslims. These rogue states would show no mercy -- at least not while easy money could be made by extorting America, France, England, and other powers. So President Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy's new warships and a detachment of marines to blockade Tripoli -- launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America's journey toward future superpower status.

Navy SEALs: Mission at the Caves by Webb, Brandon

Describes the author's teenage experiences on dive boats, why he decided to become a Navy SEAL, his training, and a mission he and his team went on to shut down a terrorist training camp in a cave network in Afghanistan in 2002.