Reading

One really nice benefit of this deployment (at least so far) is I have been able to devote time to reading. I used to read just about every day, often at night before I went to bed. Ironically, my reading declined when I was in graduate school. The problem I had was there was so much school work to be read, that I felt guilty if I wasn't working on an assignment. Consequently, reading for pleasure evaporated for me. Even though I completed my degree years ago, I never really got back into the discipline of reading just for me; something else was always there to take up my time.

But this week, that has all changed. I'm now five chapters into my third book of this deployment. To be sure, neither of the first two books were voluminous, but still, I have been thoroughly enjoying getting lost in my books again.

The first book I read was one that caught my eye browsing in the book area of the local Navy Exchange, "Grace Under Fire: Letters of Faith in Times of War." It is a collection of real letters from the Revolution to today from men and women, in service and at home, and their views of faith and God in the most horrific of times. Some are the last words anyone back home ever heard from their soldier. Some are advice filled, others more mundane. I found it quite interesting to read how different people dealt with their often conflicting emotions regarding faith and war, but the common thread was, they all believed there was something beyond the ugliness of the here-and-now.

The other book I've completed is one of my all time favorites, "Starship Troopers." I've lost track of how many times I've read my tattered paperback copy of Heinlein's classic science fiction masterpiece. Not only is it a compelling story simply as a good yarn, but the political and social issues presented truly give one pause. I suppose as both a military officer and a student of political science it is natural that I would hold this book as one of the top books one should have in one's library. The central political premise (meshed with following the career of Juan Rico as he progresses through the ranks of the Mobile Infantry) is that citizenship is not a right, but is earned through voluntary federal service. If you've never even read any other science fiction, I highly recommend this book.

And now, I'm five chapters into Herman Wouk's "Caine Mutiny." Since I am so familiar with the movie of the same name, I wasn't sure if I might be wasting my time reading this story. However, after just a few chapters, there are enough differences that I know this read will be enjoyable as well. The character development an author can devote in a book is so much richer and well-rounded than in even the best movie and is certainly true in this work. It is a real read (over 500 pages while the other two books didn't even crack 200) but I'm already looking forward to the further adventures of Ensign Keith and the crew of the USS Caine.

Cheers, Pearl