USS LARTER (DD 766)	CDR Jack L. Wells, USN (Retired)	Surface Warfare Pin
Reviews for Quicksilver: a greyhound at sea. Few readers today know what the Navy did off the Vietnamese coast in the 1960’s, but “Quicksilver: a greyhound at sea” will quickly educate them…Author Jack Wells, a retired Navy Commander, has written a historical fiction novel based on his time at sea during the Vietnam War. He’s placed a crew of officers and enlisted men on a Gearing Class Destroyer and given the reader a front-row seat of their year away from home. Although Vietnam was primarily a land war, the Navy conducted multiple missions, and Wells brings both the tedium of sea duty interspersed with the exhilaration of combat…This is a well-written book. A former mustang officer, Wells has an eye for detail and writes from the viewpoint of one who has “been there.” His characters come alive and are believable; no small feat for a first-time author. With so few books on the market about Navy actions in Vietnam, “Quick-silver: a greyhound at sea” would have made an excellent memoir of a time, place, and actions that few people know occurred…Recommended ! Prof. Andrew Lubin Reviewer, Military Writer’s Society of America. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Overall Rating: *** Three Stars: Recommended. A solid effort.  Commander Wells writes with authority which makes this fictional account of a destroyer’s action during the Viet Nam war very readable… The characters come alive and most readers will find themselves putting names and faces to each from their own experiences…  The day to day life at sea is familiar to any who has been there…and one can almost feel the sea beneath them as they read. The detail on every page will keep the reader attached. The author’s credibility is established early on and continues to the end… Two or three story lines are too important to reveal in a review and the readers will have to find them for themselves. They add personal and tragic dimensions to this well written novel about a time that many might like to forget. Bernie Ditter Reviewer - Tin Can Sailors The National Association of Destroyer Veterans _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thoroughly enjoyed QUICKSILVER: A Greyhound At Sea, and I've asked our manager to order copies to sell in our gift shop.  Our ship, the USS TURNER JOY (DD-951), now a museum ship in Bremerton, Washington, was one of the two ships that took part in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, and as such, has a close connection with the Vietnam War. It seems only natural that this book should be available in our book selection.  I was "downstairs" – and had little appreciation for the doings of the folks "upstairs" – the guys that got us there, and back, in one piece.  We were young then, and I'd forgotten how exhausted we were most of the time. William Metcalf Executive Director Bremerton Historic Ships Association ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Commander Wells, I have had the immense pleasure of reading your book, Quicksilver...You have captured incredible detail of real life on a greyhound of the sea.  Your book should be required reading for all naval officer candidates, and perhaps young ladies contemplating marriage to a sailor or officer in the US Navy...Your story of young men driven to demonstrate flawless decision making while stressed by fatique and tension could not be more accurate. I thoroughy enjoy how you developed characters to convey life at sea and how you showed the importance of supporting your men. Virg Erwin Author of "Cat Lo, a memoir of invincible youth" Military Writers Society of America Gold Medal

Review for Paper Dragon, Wooden Ship:

Like many military memoirs, Paper Dragon, Wooden Ship follows a year in the life of a Naval Officer.  Pat Dillan arrives in Sasebo, Japan in 1969, shortly after the North Korean’s captured an intelligence ship, The Pueblo.  He is assigned to her sister ship, The Banner.  His life is complicated by the decay of his marriage and the changing political perspectives of the times. When his wife leaves him during a trip back home, he returns to Sasebo to a new rank, new assignment and a new love interest.  It’s a familiar story written with a twist – it’s written in Navy, not English – and it’s a novel, not a memoir. This story is unusual in that both men and women will find it romantic and intense. There’s action, political intrigue, nostalgia for another time and place, the relationship a man, a woman,  the Navy, and war – both hot and cold.  The reader can almost hear Mick Jagger singing, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” in the background as Pat struggles to balance his personal and professional lives.  The author allows his characters to define themselves through their words and deeds.  Their conversations are real, amusing, and convoluted – just like everyday folks.  CDR Wells peoples his novel with likeable Americans and allows the villains of the time to create conflict for the good guys.  Most interestingly, the Navy seems more like a character than an institution – warm mother, strict father, petulant lover, demanding professor, intrusive in-law all wrapped up into one.  It’s a daring ploy by the author, but in the end, it creates an intriguing and unusual story. The cover supports the author’s intent with the look and feel of a non-fiction publication – with a faded background photograph of a Japanese pagoda and silhouettes of Pat’s two ships in the foreground. This matter-of-fact approach makes this historical novel seem more real than most – like the personal story of your next door neighbor -- the super-intelligent one that speaks in a tangled dialect of alphabet soup and hides his heart behind a short haircut and shiny black shoes.  While the plot is compelling and the characters intriguing, this book is not an easy read. The author recognizes that the average reader might have trouble translating inexplicable prose like, “Arrival at Kure Sunday morning was a non-event.  But next morning it got serious: much pomp and circumstance when the JMSDF mine flotilla four striper came aboard.  Meanwhile, the MINEFLOTONE officers, LT and above, went to do a pre-ex inspection on the 4 Hatsushima class coastal JMSDF sweeps taking part in the minex.”   HUH?   

To be fair, CDR Wells provides lots of footnotes and goes the extra mile with an Appendix to help decipher Naval ranks.  However, most of us landlubbers may spend as much time looking up terminology like EOD, Mike Boat, and LCM-6 than actually enjoying Pat’s adventures in war and love.  However, this book will enchant those who live and love the Navy – and after about fifty pages, a newbie will grasp the lingo enough to get a kick out of it too.

Joyce Faulkner

President & Reviewer

Military Writer's Society of America