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Rear Admiral George R. Worthington, USN (Ret.), recounts the details of his illustrious career in this military memoir presented in sixteen chapters in three sections. After the Worthington family moved around during the years of World War II while his father served in the Navy, they settled in Rockaway Park, Long Island, where George attended South Kent School and then received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1961.
His first active assignment on the USS Halsey Powell required his participation in the nuclear bomb tests off Christmas Island in 1962. Eventually becoming accomplished as a master swimmer, Worthington was initially requested to participate in the International Naval Pentathlon and later competed as a member of the Military Sports Council swimming competition in Barcelona. This was perfect conditioning for his later assignments in underwater demolition training and his subsequent command of SEAL Team One.
Worthington also served as a "Naval Attaché to Cambodia, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and command of Inshore Undersea Warfare Group ONE—where he initiated efforts to develop Naval Special Warfare Command and Control Communications vans – National War College, and a six-year stint Pentagon Navy Staff during an exciting period of Special Operations growth." His career spans the Cold War and later conflicts such as Desert Storm and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and on into the early twenty-first century, with various deployments to many Asian countries, Europe, the Persian Gulf, and many stateside assignments including a pre-retirement stint at the Pentagon.
While the text is tight and mostly lacks an extended literary description of the author's military training and experiences, the memoir has a sincere, conversational delivery and a disciplined, soldier-like voice that should please readers who have served in the Navy or who are knowledgeable about Navy life. The basic details such as dates of training and deployments as well as the more technical information about these are prolific and impressive in the recounting. Previous participation in the military or a thirst for knowledge about the military should be useful to non-military readers in decoding the frequently used Navy and military terms and acronyms.
At times Worthington is both playful and humorous in recounting his memories as well as businesslike and focused. The narrative makes it clear that Worthington's zest for life and enthusiasm for his career brought him much satisfaction amidst the reward of many notable and highly challenging assignments and deployments. Much of his career stateside is spent in Navy and military base locations familiar to many, such as various locations in Maryland, Florida, California's Long Beach and San Diego, and many others. The sense of place is always from the author's unique military perspective, and the familiar, newsworthy locations in which he worked at home and abroad will interest both military and non-military readers. The inclusion of photos is an enjoyable feature that helps to personalize this powerful memoir. Worthington eventually married and has three grown children, one of whom also embraced a career as a Navy SEAL.