Constant Bearing - Decreasing Range: A Makeover for Sailor Sam [Paperback]

Skip Vogel (Author), JD Hamilton (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2006

Skip Vogel's CONSTANT BEARING - DECREASING RANGE: The Collision of Public Policy and National Defense is a compelling character-driven story of intrigue, tragedy, honor, and humor within the U.S. Navy as it was undermined by the questionable efforts of American politicians and social engineers as they attempted to integrate low aptitude personnel and criminals into our naval forces, and the unfortunate consequences that resulted from these policies.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leroy E. "Skip" Vogel was born in Bruno, Saskatchewan, Canada, but spent most of his childhood in Nebraska and Minnesota. After graduating from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, he enrolled at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was awarded the degree of Master of Divinity. He later earned the Master of Sacred Theology degree at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and pursued doctoral studies at Harvard University. Skip served for 20 years in the United States Navy, and retired as a Captain. He served on major ships of the line, at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and at various Naval Stations in the United States and abroad, including Antarctica. He participated in numerous key missions in Southeast Asia, and was awarded an array of medals and decorations. In the 1980s, Skip further pursued his interests in history and religion, writing a book titled History, Harmony, and the Hebrew Kings. He taught courses in religious history, public policy, and politics and American life at Concordia Seminary. Skip and his wife, Gloria, live in retirement in Spring Valley, Minnesota. He has four children and twelve grandchildren.

Product Details

• Paperback: 410 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (December 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419651455
• ISBN-13: 978-1419651458
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,387,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review by New York Times best-selling author Ellen Tanner Marsh, December 15, 2006

By 

Mrs. Peacock - See all my reviews

This review is from: Constant Bearing - Decreasing Range: A Makeover for Sailor Sam (Paperback)

The title of this debut novel by Skip Vogel--and in particular its subtitle, "A Tale of Naval Intrigue,"--will recommend it to readers of military fiction of the Tom Clancy variety, though this novel does not (as Clancy's do) involve warfare or espionage or high-action thrills. Instead, Constant Bearing focuses on one particular aircraft carrier, the fictional U.S.S. Union, which has been re-commissioned in 1976, the year in which the novel is set. In their attempts to achieve an "E" rating--that is, Excellent--for the carrier, the crew is confronted with several obstacles, in the form of an NIS investigation over drugs and counterfeit money found on board; a dead man found in the women's bathroom; a missing crewmember (who apparently has jumped ship); and social experimentation (involving, just as an example, women in the military), which in the view of "old salts" like Captain Yorel, are jeopardizing the U.S. Navy's ability to function in its role as a navy.

The dangers of social experimentation is, indeed, the primary theme of this novel; and the attempts of the "old salts" to resist it to the end, in spite of every obstacle and the inexorable march of time and change, is what drives the plot.

And yet this quite remarkable novel will have an appeal not just to those cultish fans of its subgenre, but indeed to anyone who is interested in good, old-fashioned storytelling. Vogel displays remarkable skill in handling and developing, at a nicely slow and yet page-turning pace, a diversity of plot elements and characters. Nothing, however small, gets pushed aside by his discerning pen and everything, even the most seemingly unimportant stroke of description, is treated with care.

Such a strength is especially important in a novel which involves a career and a setting with its own culture and lingo; Vogel is able to explain Navy terms and locales with a specificity that makes them accessible to anyone, and he is able to do so precisely because of his ability to explain the matter at hand and still deftly move a plot forward. Vogel's storytelling skills shine particularly brightly in his ability to handle character. In the same way that no smallest detail escapes his attention, every character, however minor, is treated with equal care. It is important to point this out because very few writers have managed to achieve it; among contemporary writers, only a John Irving, or a Stephen King, or a Kurt Vonnegut, can accomplish such a task.

At the end, however, Constant Bearing proves to be a very finely wrought tale of the politics, and the equipment and the men who make up the U.S. Navy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Constant Bearing--Decreasing Range: The Collision of Public Policy and National Defense, December 13, 2006

By 

James Pfannenstiel (Sturgeon Bay, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Constant Bearing - Decreasing Range: A Makeover for Sailor Sam (Paperback)

Run, do not walk, to get your hands on Skip Vogel's amazing new novel; "CONSTANT BEARING - DECREASING RANGE." A twenty year veteran of the United States Navy, Vogel gives the reader an insider's view of the sights and scenes of the United States military aboard a major combatant of the Fleet. This powerful novel is a close scrutiny of National Defense that can become sorely compromised by flawed public policy. Focusing on one of the most relevant, urgent issues in our Country today, Vogel tells a painful, yet emotional story; one that the reader will not soon forget.

James D. Pfannenstiel
Captain, USN (ret)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A timely assesment of social experiment in the Navy, December 11, 2006

By 

Kathi Fanning - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Constant Bearing - Decreasing Range: A Makeover for Sailor Sam (Paperback)

In a sea of mediocre books, Skip Vogels Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range stands out as a must read for humor, adventure and drama. His writing style creates a phenominal read. Ordinary men on an aircraft carrier are subjected to untried social experimentation in the name of political correctness for social change. The drama portrayed will stir feelings in every man who has ever served his country. Anyone who reads this book will be moved or incited by this story. Has a GREAT ending!!!!!