Boatswain's Mate (Paperback)

Jake Rickmeyer joins the Navy at age sixteen. For the next twenty-five years he's caught up in world events, three wars and International crises. He's married to a woman who turns to booze and men; his best friend dies in his arms in Korea. Jake's lifelong friends include powerful men, such as Admiral Sullivan P. Rooks and United States Senator Edward Morrow. He gets caught up in the Civil Rights' movement, where he has to juggle the racist attitudes of a tough Marine Gunnery Sergeant from Alabama, with his own more temperate views. Years of hating a sailor called Rabbit causes Jake to form moral judgments; their interlocking lives finally come together in a completely unexpected way. Jake's commitment to watching out for his dead friend's son will cause anguish. At the point where his relationship with Barbara-Jean (his ex-wife) appears to be resolved, he goes on one final mission where it becomes politically expedient to sacrifice him.