Customer Reviews

BROTHERHOOD OF DOOM: Memoirs of a Navy Nuclear Weaponsman

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As a former GMT/WT who didn't have an opportunity to serve with Gunner Little I have to say that from the time I picked up the book till I put it down, it was amazing all I could think of was if I were to change some of the names and dates the book pretty much followed my experiences in the Navy. It's good that someone wrote a book that documents our time in the Navy. Most anything you read or see is about Navy pilots and this is a behind the scenes look at the enlisted and officer rating that was hidden behind doubled barbed wire fences and locked behind armed Marines. A small elite organization that took pride in its accomplishments. We still meet once a year to rekindle our memories. And if anyone wants to find out more about us log onto Navy Nuclear Weapons Association dot com

I was fortunate to have worked with Jim Little during the time of his second tour in Guam. It was so much fun to relive the experiences he describes in his insightful book. I laughed a great deal as he recounts the events and people who made up the Guam brotherhood. Jim always displayed his great sense of humor via his cartoons. None of us ever got by with anything no matter how embarrassing it might have been. If you made a mistake or were caught doing something questionable you would find yourself as a character in one of Jim's cartoons. He would draw them in the break room on the chalk board for all to see. The cartoon would remain there until someone else did something to pique his humorous side.
Jim and I had very similar career paths and experiences in our diverse service as nuclear weapon ordinance men and I must say it was interesting reading about his long service in the Navy.
It is with some mixed emotions that I reflect on the billions of dollars and the thousands of men and women who supported the maintenance and safe keeping of the huge stockpiles of these potentially deadly weapons in the U.S. Arsenal. My career was mostly in the Army but it was a wonderful experience to have spent four years in the Navy part of which was spent working with Jim Little and folks at U.S. Naval Magazine Guam. I am glad these weapons are gone but I am also a bit sad these military occupations are now defunct. We were a part of history that hopefully will never be needed again. We were truly a brotherhood.

Jim Little's recollection of his 30 year Navy experience succeeds at several levels. His personal saga identifies people we can all relate to; a soap opera of life that covers loneliness, rebellion, favoratism, obesity, AIDS, infidelity, and achoholism.
The timeline of the book covers virtualy all of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. As such, it becomes a historic device to review all of the military and diplomatic events from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Operation Desert Storm. Importantly, this is not a celebrity general or politician out to pad his legacy, but the unique experience of a sailor below deck shepherding the most deadly weapons afloat. His duty assignments include a who's who of the big ships including the Midway, now on permanent display in San Diego. I wish I had read this book before I got to take the amazing tour.
Parents will be well served by using the real life insights contained herein as a teaching device. Much is learned by accepting ever greater responsibility, learning the skills nessesary for promotion, and coping with difficult people and stressful situations.
This book has great potential as a historical and curtural reference but needs further development to succeed totally. I would have appreciated a more detailed table of contents to to better anyalize what's inside. An expanded appendix detailing important subjects as ship histories, culture of the the various home ports, personnel evaluation and promtion practices, endless inspections, and cultural evolution of the Navy itself could have been read separately and libereated the personal narrative for a faster read.
Little's attention to detail and those precious letters home saved by his devoted mother lend credibility to the accuracy of this story.
This is not fast food, it's the whole buffet. The patient reader will gain much nurishment from this meaty missive.

Jim Little tells his thirty year military story, starting with his first encounter with nuclear weapons when his teacher screamed at her seven year old students, "Duck and cover." Few today remember these Cold War drills, but those of us who do will never forget them.

After graduating from high school, seventeen year old Jim Little enlisted in the U.S. Navy and the story begins. A story of enlisted life in the Navy, and a story of dedication, sacrifice and love of country. It is also is a window into the secret world of nuclear weapons: what it took to stockpile, train, load on aircraft, and then return the weapons to their secure magazines. A story that explains how the U.S. was able to safely maintain the power to destroy the world and insure freedom.

Little's story also provides insight into events involving the Navy and, Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, and China.

This is a book that any man or woman planning to enter the military, enlisted or officer, should read. Little leads the reader through his experience that made him a leader as he climbed the ranks to Chief and then Warrant Officer. As a former Army officer, I recognized some of the personalities, officers and enlisted, described. The characteristics of a good military leader also apply in the civilian world. There is much wisdom in this book.

CWO4 Jim Little's career revolved around Navy nuclear weapons. We have been to many of the same places, and assigned to the same command--DASA.

This well written book is worth reading. Little keeps the story going, and you begin to feel you are part of his family. I plan to share it with my grandchildren when they reach their senior year in high school.

My only disappointment with the book is the title. I would prefer BROTHERHOOD OF PEACE, for men and women like Jim Little kept the peace by making MAD (mutually assured destruction) possible, thereby keeping the Soviet Union and China in check.

a very intense read! ONE LIVES EVERY INSPECTION, PERSONAL CRISIS AND LEARNS TO APPRECIATE THE SACRIFICES MADE BY THOSE WHO SERVE!

It is rare to find any day-to-day details on the handling of nuclear weapons. And it is almost as hard to find an account of what goes on at the initation of a new chief petty officer. This lengthy memoir of a navy career makes good reading for anyone interested in those subjects (among many others, including basic training, life on aircraft carriers, and how different the navy afloat is from the navy ashore and between the east and west coasts) or just wanting to know about naval or military service. The author has done a great job in an unusually detailed account of his time in the navy and his experiences with the navy's unique culture.

Having served as a GMT from 1965 - 1974, I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Little's book. I think anyone who has worked with (and around) nuclear weapons will find this to be a great read. I am certainly glad he wrote it. I had the option, when purchasing the book on-line last year to either buy the soft cover (shown above) for $22.95 or print my own copy for, I think, $11.95. I chose the apparently cheaper version. Wish I hadn't because it certainly wasn't a less expensive alternative. By the time I had printed out 420+ pages of 8 1/2 by sheets of paper and purchased a new print cartridge to finish the printing...what with the false starts because of paper jabs and light printing on pages before I noticed that problem....It cost me more than $30.00, Not to mention the aggravation that went into the whole process. Not being bound....what to do with the (did I mention) 420+ pages??? I ended up having to carry my "book" around in a plastic grocery bag. Pretty sad! To reiterate, I know everyone who has been a 'weaponeer' wiill enjoy Mr. Little's book. /s/ Tom Stephens

Great book for folks who want know what it was like in this line of work. After being in it for 20 years myself, I found it a great read.

TECHNICALLY IT IS MOSTLY CORRECT ON THE OTHER HAND IT'S THE BIGGEST STEAMING PILE OF SELF PROMOTION I HAVE EVER READ.