Movies/books

[mom3boys]

Several people suggested movies and books that tell the USMA story; can anyone suggest something similar for USNA?

[Just_A_Mom]

There aren't any.

Oh wait yeah there is that movie - "Annapolis" -
and that other movie about the two teens from Texas, one went to Navy and the other Air Force but murdered their classmate in their senior year of high school - the honor code got them
and there is another movie - Disney - I think about the kid from the "wrong" section of LA who fell in love with the Congressman's daughter and got to USNA......

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Zaphod]

Please excuse the misguided Woop mom. They can't help themselves from babbling. :biggrin:

The first one that comes to mind is "The Nightingale's Song", which tells the story of McCain, North, Webb, and others from that era.

A great piece of fiction (written before his brain fried) is "A Sense of Honor" by James Webb.

The only movie in recent memory that portrays USNA in anything resembling a realistic, let alone positive, light is "Patriot Games", and then only for a short scene. "Annapolis" is so bad that USNA should be able to sue for libel and defamation. :mad:

A search for "Naval Academy" on Amazon yielded this (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-0926749-0377224?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Naval+Academy&x=20&y=20). Hope that helps. :smile:

[mom3boys]

Thanks...any kind of documentary stuff? I ordered :
National Geographic - Surviving West Point by Surviving West Point (DVD - May 20, 2003) Was hoping there was something similar...

Thanks to Just A Mom for her suggestions...was looking for something more reality based!:shake:

[Just_A_Mom]

The movie about the teenagers from Texas IS reality based. No kidding. Just can't make this stuff up! :wink:

[Just_A_Mom]

yep - I looked it up :

http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/young/zamora/12.html

[USNA69]

sorry, there is not a lot of Navy books. We're too busy living history to have time to write about it.

[Zaphod]

sorry, there is not a lot of Navy books. We're too busy living history to have time to write about it.

You mean MAKING it. :biggrin:



There is a series that runs on the Military Channel every now and again, and it's something along the lines of "America's Military Academies" or something. It covers all of them, and is very well done.

[USNA69]

You mean MAKING it.

Nah, just kind of back handingly referring to JAMs coed shower video.

The A-6 community used to have a saying, "The fighters make movies, we make history." So i guess I could paraphrase that for the current discussion.

[mom3boys]

Our Century: U.S. Naval Academy: 150 Years in Annapolis (DVD - April 8, 1995)
:rolleyes:

[Aronson]

An AWESOME book about USMA is "Absolutely American" by David Lipsky. It got me interested in the service academy life in middle school. DEFINATELY get that book, it's very very good. The military channel has a three part series called America's Military Academies. It's pretty solid

[USNA69]

I can't seem to locate it at the moment but I saw a recent survey where the Army football team's number one selection of reading material that helped them make the decision to enter WP was GI Joe comic books. One player, an offensive tackle, I think, went so far as to say that these comic books have "made me what I am today." For you Woopsters to be, I highly recommend them.

[Antoinette]

Wow, USNA69, please take your unsubstantiated (and funny) stabs to the Army-Navy football game thread... I have to say that envy does strange things to nice people...now back to good sources of info on the Naval Academy.

"Navy Seals" by Navy Seals is a good book about one choice for training after the Naval Academy. Check out your local library for books about the Navy. It is a good idea to explore what life in the Navy (or any Armed Service) will be like after commissioning.

[USNA69]

Wow, USNA69, please take your unsubstantiated (and funny) stabs to the Army-Navy football game thread...

Hey, this week the whole world is the "Army-Navy football game thread". It is all I can do not to post "envious" remarks on the AFA Yearbook thread.

[Just_A_Mom]

Antionette - :thumb: Good job..... keep him in line. But what do you expect ???
Really - I mean - I read once that most Naval Aviators claim that watching the movie "Top Gun" "made me what I am". Wow.

Back to our regularly scheduled program -

mom3boys - I agree with Antoinette - go beyond the Naval Academy - look for books about the Navy and navy life. Have your son read "Navy Times" online - "Army Times" as well, for that matter...

[USNA69]

Really - I mean - I read once that most Naval Aviators claim that watching the movie "Top Gun" "made me what I am".

Actually, it was the greatest recruiting effort of all time with which the Navy has ever been associated. Talking about envy. Oh, never mind. I guess Top Tank would never hack it, unless they were making a comedy.

[Zaphod]

Actually, it was the greatest recruiting effort of all time with which the Navy has ever been associated.

You're not kidding. I went in as part of that wave.

If they could do movies like that about SWO and subs, it would REALLY be cool. Unfortunately, having CPA's of 5 miles in three hours just isn't as exciting. :frown:

[peskemom]

Here are some we have and some I had to order online from used stores all over the country...

1) The Naval Academy Candidate Book by Smallwood
2) Sea Change at Annapolis - 1949-2000 by Gelfand
3) Letters from Annapolis - Drew ( this is an AMAZING book with alot of insight into life at USNA throughout it's history)
4) A Civil War - Feinsten (This is about the Army/Navy football tradition)
5)The U.S. Naval Academy, an Illustrated History-Jack Sweetman
6)First Class - Disher ( this is about the 1st graduating class of women
7) Brigade Seats - Gibson (this is really a cookbook but has lots of history information about USNA in it)

There are lots more books - here is one link to see 3 pages of possibilities
http://www.alibris.co.uk/booksearch?qsort=&matches=55&browse=1&subject=United+States+Naval+Academy

enjoy your reading!

[heartcross]

Tha A&E series Horatio Hornblower has a good "Extra" on the episode called The Mutiny. It is all about sailing, at USNA, USMMA and CGA. It was quite the nice surprise this evening.

[subskipper]

You're not kidding. I went in as part of that wave.

If they could do movies like that about SWO and subs, it would REALLY be cool. Unfortunately, having CPA's of 5 miles in three hours just isn't as exciting. :frown:

A lot of people think that "Hunt for Red October" did good things for the submarine force. But most submariners, myself included, thought it was a lousy movie.

[Zaphod]

A lot of people think that "Hunt for Red October" did good things for the submarine force. But most submariners, myself included, thought it was a lousy movie.

I was a 1/C when that came out. I remember all the hoopla in the USN when it was getting ready to release.

I thought it was pretty good, but as with all Tom Clancy stories, it would have been better suited to a miniseries than a 2-hour movie. The sets of the submarines (especially the RED OCTOBER) were a bit comical.

CRIMSON TIDE, OTOH, was much better, even if it did describe a situation that isn't really possible.

[rjcuga]

I would never really go by anything from a tom clancy movie(patriot games, clear and present danger, the hunt for red october, and the sum of all fears) because they really are not near the plots of the books. Read the books, they are much better... Patriot games really disappointed me when I saw the movie... I was waiting for the end for Jack Ryan to lead the terrorist to the naval academy to get a pounding, but never happened. In fact, Tom Clancy tried to not be associated with Patriot Games because it went so far off from the book. What about the movie U-571?

[Zaphod]

What about the movie U-571?

Excellent flick, though not historically accurate in any way. Also, only reference to USNA is when the guy takes his ring off prior to the operation.

That sequence when they attack the sub and then have to turn and fight it is awesome.

"I CAN'T EQUALIZE THE TUUUUUUBES!!!" Gives me goosebumps... :eek:

[USNA84]

For me, the first time I became inerested in USNA was freshman year in high school when our English teacher gave us The Caine Mutiny to read over Christmas Break. We all groaned because it was so huge, but once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Nothing to do with the Naval Academy, but a great story about leadership dilemmas that officers have faced in wartime. The play and the movie are also both outstanding.

Other great books for Naval (not USNA) Enthusiasts:

Fiction
The entire "Aubrey/Maturin" series by Patrick O'Brien (Master and Commander, etc.) which is about 20 books in all. The "gold standard" for Naval fiction, IMHO. A little heavy going if you can't master the 19th century style - even though it was written in the 20th century.

Alexander Kent's "Richard Bolitho" series. Same period as Aubrey Maturin and Hornblower. More Royal Navy stories (historical fiction) from the Anglo-French Napoleonic wars.

Hornblower - everyone has heard of these. I've read them all twice.

James Nelson's books on the pirates and privateers during the colonization of America ("The Guardship", et al); Continental Navy, ("By Force of Arms", et al); and the Civil War ("Glory in the Name" and "Thieves of Mercy")

Non fiction

To Rule the Waves, written by an American, it's the story of the mother of all modern navies, the Royal Navy. Absolutely first class account of the development and rise of the RN.

John Paul Jones, written by Evan Thomas. A pretty even handed treatment of the Father of the American Navy.

And so many others...

[subskipper]

I was a 1/C when that came out. I remember all the hoopla in the USN when it was getting ready to release.

I thought it was pretty good, but as with all Tom Clancy stories, it would have been better suited to a miniseries than a 2-hour movie. The sets of the submarines (especially the RED OCTOBER) were a bit comical.

CRIMSON TIDE, OTOH, was much better, even if it did describe a situation that isn't really possible.

If submariners don't think much of Hunt for Red October, we absolutely despise Crimson Tide. Both movies are laughably unrealistic. I can tell you I never served on a submarine where the CO brought his little doggie to sea. It goes downhill from there.

[Zaphod]

If submariners don't think much of Hunt for Red October, we absolutely despise Crimson Tide. Both movies are laughably unrealistic. I can tell you I never served on a submarine where the CO brought his little doggie to sea. It goes downhill from there.

LOL. Yeah, the dog at sea was a howling example of rediculousness. :shake:

I wasn't aboard submarines long enough to have learned any of the details corresponding to the control of nuclear weapons, and even if I had, I wouldn't be discussing them here. However, I DID work for someone who DID serve long enough to know, and when I was an officer I went through the school that dealt with the control and handling of nuclear launch codes. The experience of that school (and subsequent duties) combined with the experience of that old boss (mostly the latter) make me extremely suspicious that such a scenario as that played out in Crimson Tide (i.e. - a mutiny caused by a breakdown in communications) could actually take place. In the words of my old boss, "It's a load of horseshit. Trust me, it can't happen."

That said, at least they made the inside of the boat and the procedures being protrayed look at least moderately authentic. The nickel-plated periscope and the family-room-sized control room in HFRO were just comical.

Still, ya gotta hand it to Hollyweird for trying. I thought the vortices behind the Tomcats in Top Gun were the COOLEST thing until someone told me that all they were doig was a fuel dump. And of course, in that ragingly-accurate tribute to life in the Air Farce, "Iron Eagle", it's a total hoot when teenage-punk-turned-hotshot-pilot Doug Masters goes to bomb a refinery but the video is that of a sewage-treatment plant. :yllol:

[JimU]

I would suggest these books about the Academy:


1. Becoming A Leader the Annapolis Way

2. Brief Points: An Almanac for Parents and Friends of U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen

I would suggest that you ignore the movie "Annapolis" at all cost because it is not realistic at all. And was not shot at the actual academy as I did not recognize any of the buildings and I am an alum of the academy.

[DBart2014]

For me, the first time I became interested in USNA was freshman year in high school when our English teacher gave us The Caine Mutiny to read

That was a great book.

I don't know if I should post this, it got mixed reviews. "Annapolis Autumn" by Bruce Fleming struck me as a good read. Some people say it was just an angry professor trying to get back at the academy but I say "Nay!" The only way to find out is to read it.

[jamzmom]

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780761513698&itm=4

I stole this read from son while he was home over break. He was given this book by one of his mentors/teachers & told to read it. Son was impressed. Be sure to read what the reviewers thought of it. Its all about leadership & how one can put it into perspective. Very interesting, short read. Don't let the whole "monk" thing fool you.