1. On Jul 11 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy by Ian W. Toll and commented:

    This book is filled with interesting stories about the founding of the American Navy. The building of the first ships (including the difficulties in floating one of them), Stephen Decatur's burning of the captured Philadelphia, the naval engagements in the War of 1812 - it's all great stuff. Finally you'll know the full story of "to the shores of Tripoli"!

  2. On Jul 08 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis and commented:

    This is a great read as Bernard Lewis effectively boils down the issues facing Islam. One thing he notes is a difference between Christianity and Islam - in Matthew 22 Jesus says to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's" whereas there's no similar concept in Islam. This book is one you could re-read once every few years and still get good value.

  3. On Jul 08 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson and commented:

    This is a massive Civil War reference; it covers everything from details of all the major battles to the political maneuvering that Lincoln did to deal with his cabinet. It will take you a while to plow through this, but it's worth it.

  4. On Jun 04 2009 gully22 read Battle Leadership by Adolf Von Schell
  5. On Jun 04 2009 gully22 read Rifleman Dodd by C. S. Forester
  6. On Jun 04 2009 gully22 read A Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard
  7. On Jun 04 2009 gully22 read First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps by Victor H. Krulak
  8. On Jun 04 2009 gully22 read Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield
  9. On May 27 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day by Robert Coram
  10. On May 22 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read Patton: A Genius for War by Carlo D'este and commented:

    This is an epic survey of Patton's life. One thing I found interesting was how Patton managed his career. He knew that in order to make flag rank he needed powerful allies, and he actively sought these people out even if it meant jumping the chain of command. The story of how he got to be Pershing's aide-de-camp in the Mexico campaign is a fine example of this.

  11. On May 18 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution by Richard M. Ketchum
  12. On May 10 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
  13. On May 05 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose
  14. On Apr 28 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and commented:

    This was a brutal book - towards the end of it I found myself turning pages hoping to find something good happening to the protagonist. It's definitely worth a reading, if only for understanding how terrible the Taliban have treated the people of Afghanistan.

  15. On Apr 26 2009 Tom Copeland (USCG) read Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis and commented:

    One of the players mentioned in this book is Nick Swisher, who now plays for the Yankees. I'm a big Yankees fan so it's interesting to look at Swisher's stats with this book in mind. For example, Swisher hasn't been hitting so well (June/July 2009), but he's still got a high OBP due to all the walks he gets. One thing Michael Lewis does well is relate the baseball chatter around the clubhouse and between the manager and scouts. It really rang true for me; it reminded me (on a much lower level) of the comments made by my college manager and pitching coach.