Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.91649
EAN num: 9781591450368
Format: Illustrated
ISBN number: 1591450365
Label: Thomas Nelson
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 256
Printing Date: January 28, 2003
Publishing house: Thomas Nelson
Sale Popularity Level: 75812
Studio: Thomas Nelson
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Product Description:
When a U.S. nuclear submarine collided with a Japanese fishing vessel in the spring of 2001, the story made national headlines. Navy Commander Scott Waddle, former captain of the U.S.S. Greeneville, was at the center of the controversy. This is the first-hand, never-before-published account of that fatal moment and the heart-breaking avalanche of events that followed.
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Rated by buyers -
I remember when this accident occurred I thought "what a waste - of 9 lives, of a good commander and all stemming from just a quick ride for some civilians".
As a Navy veteran mentioned in another review he saw some of the best and worst aspects of the Navy (read bureaucracy) in this book. Commander Waddle's well being after the accident wasn't a primary objective to the top brass.
It's a story of standing alone facing a firestorm and wanting to do the right thing and not the expedient thing.
Rated by buyers 
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To me this is two books in one. Its is a story of faith in the face of adversity. In that it is excellent. Since that has been discussed here heavily, I wont go any further with that concept. What I find more interesting is Cdr Waddle has unintentionally given us an expose' on the US Navy.
I served in the Army so my knowledge in this realm is academic. However, it seems to me submarine officers are highly screened for quality and competency. From reading this story I come out wondering how Scott Waddle ever got in command of a submarine let alone be allowed to serve on one in any position!
The very first half of this autobiography is devoted to Waddle explaining his Naval career. It isnt pretty. He recounts one story after another of cutting corners, disobeying direct orders, outmaneuvering supervisors and ignoring inconvenient regulations. Not only that Waddle doesnt strike me as being one of the sharpest knives in the drawer. I find it hard to believe an officer can get to the two decade mark of Naval service and honestly think his career could in any way survive ramming a civilian watercraft. I did five years in the Army (of all places) and knew the answer to that one!
To me this is the great value of this book. The Navy somehow let an incapable person who knew the art of smooth talking slip through the cracks long enough he wound up in command of an extremely powerful warship. This inattention resulted in tragedy. I see a number of sailors have come here and posted comments. Please tell me Waddle is a fluke!
Rated by buyers 
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I was disappointed in this book. It's too preachy, and it's written at the third grade level. As a former submariner, I was hoping to get an inside look at the details of the accident and the politics of the Court of Inquiry. Instead, very little time was devoted to these subjects in between a rambling autobiography and a religious tract. Cdr. Waddle can stop shouting from the rooftops how much he loves his wife and his child and what a great son, father, husband, disciple and sailour he is. After the 20th time, it just wears thin. Granted, the US Naval Academy doesn't graduate idiots, and the Navy doesn't let knuckleheads command their premier warships. I get it. But just because you love your wife doesn't mean you didn't screw up. And screw up he did. Waddle unnecessarily rushed his crew, including a rookie Deck Officer who wasn't experienced and capable enough to handle the artificially rapid pace, and not secure enough to stand up to his CO and ensure the boat's safety. Waddle had guests on board to impress, and he got distracted and sloppy and violated his own standing orders.
Now 9,999 times out of 10,000 it wouldn't matter; it's a big ocean, but this time another ship happened to be in the way, and people got dead. Did he deserve a court martial and jail? No. But you can't kill people and keep your command, especially after an entirely avoidable accident. Its the same thing as if you are looking down and changing the radio station in your car when a kid runs in front of you and you kill him. Should you be driving paying attention with both hands on the wheel all the time? Yes. Were you negligent? Yes. Malicious? No. But 9 people dead, a diplomatic relations nightmare, and $100 million later: Someone has to bend over...
Waddle was a child of privilege, growing up overseas, and accepted to two military academies. He was groomed and nurtured by the Navy from the start. Even in spite of that, his career was almost derailed from the beginning, and only his getting into good graces with a senior officer allowed his service record to be cleaned up and made him eligible for command. I will have to search and find some other sources of information to get a better perspective on the accident. I would be interested in hearing the accounts of the FT and the deck officer. I'm sure, despite his claims, that Waddle wasn't beloved by his entire crew, either. No Captain is. In spite of all the rah-rahs, I know from experience that at least 70% of the crew was pissed off at having to spend a day driving VIPs around, including the reactor start-up crew that had to report at midnight or earlier the night before.
I respect Commander Waddle, and admire some of the things he accomplished, but I wouldn't serve with him. He is too cocky and the rules of navigation or chain of command don't apply to him, because he always knows better. And if a CO ever told me during a drill or on watch that the only perfect man to walk the earth died 2000 years ago, I would nod my head and say "Yes Sir, Skipper", and run screaming to my detailer as soon as we docked to get me off of this guy's ship. While that kind of statement (if it really happened) looks great in a book where you are trying to impress the public with what a great guy you are, it is entirely inappropriate for any workplace, military or otherwise. Nothing is scarier than a zealot with a weapon. As a Senior Chief once said to me, "God's on the surface, kid. Down here at 600 feet it's just you, me and the Russians".
I agree with the reviewer's statement that if Waddle was REALLY the saint he claims to be, he would donate all the proceeds from the book to the victim's families.
Rated by buyers -
I am glad that I did not read the reviews about this book before I purchased it. I think that The Right Thing is a great story about standing up and saying that you are sorry and taking responsibility for your actions. Based on the book, I do not believe that the events of that day were anything more than a combination of small mistakes and accidents. I do not feel that CMDR Scott Waddle should have lost his command because of this incident. For some reason, we in America feel that when something happens that we must have some one to crucify. Were there mistakes made? Yes. Were they done on purpose? No. There are many people that deserve to take a piece of the blame, including the US Navy. Instead we choose to place all the blame on Waddle and intead of crying foul, he took it like a Christian. I cannot remember who made the comment about CMDR Waddle's repeated references to God, but as a Christian I was moved by what he said and what he went through. I have no problem with him relating to Job, I have related to Job and I have not gone through anything like he has.
Above all, please give this book a chance and allow yourself to read it with an open mind.
Rated by buyers 
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I have read the NTSB report and the unclassified version of the Court of Inquiry by the Navy. Clearly there are significant problems with the author's memory as to both what happened and what he said at the time. Significantly, this accident happened because the captain violated his own standing orders which if followed to the letter probably would have prevented this tragic event. The person I feel sorrow for is the OOD who was known as methodical and exacting albeit slower than the captain liked. In the trial transcript several officers and crew testified to the carefulness of this junior officer OOD. But if the captain had not pushed the OOD to perform a maneuver in 5 mins which he admitted would take a more senior and experienced officer (than the OOD)at least 8 mins to complete, it is highly likely that the Greeneville would have either recognized the converging courses or might well have physically been several hundred yards away from the merchant ship. The captain also interrupted the OOD during the periscope scan which also compromised safety. There were many other more senior officers (to the OOD) who did nothing as the scenario evolved. While others did not perform their duties as well as they should have, the laxity in doing so came from the top down. Command at sea is absolute in authority and responsibility.
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