Customer Reviews

The Historic Northwest Passage and the CGC STORIS: The story of a young man growing up in the Coast Guard in the 1950s

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:To Nam And Back
>
> "The historic Northwest Passage &the CGC Storis can be compared to reading a diary of a
> crewmember of the ship Santa Maria on Christopher Columbus historic voyage. Of course this
> was a voyage in modern times and the latest technology of that time but still an adventure into the
> unknown, motivated by man's quest "to go where no one has gone before".
> This is a story of modern young sailor's thought process as he becomes indoctrinated into the
> Coast Guard and his perspective as a novice sailor on a mission he just happens to be assigned.
> Such experiences are not fully appreciated until years later as old soldier reflects on his military
> life. Undoubtedly such experiences help transform our youth quickly to manhood.
> Dick's character and confidence were instilled into him from his earlier military training. Although
> everyone will agree that Dick's attitude and opinions are truly his own birth right as a Juge.
> The book is easy reading, enjoyable, humorous, informative, detailed, and historic. I would
> encourage everyone, military veteran or civilian to come on board.
> Author of "To Nam and Back"
> Randy Juge

This is a great book and I highly recommend it to everyone and especially folks who like absolute ''true'' stories... This book is nothing but fact and very well done. It especially brings back memories of my generation that ''grew up in the 50s''....

This book is beautifully written and takes the reader through youthful days of first being completely away from home and a parent's daily guidance and in making the transit from boyhood to manhood. It reminds me so much of my own early years in the Coast Guard and I am impressed by the author's recollection of details and events that tend to be forgotten as time passes. Once one starts reading this book, it is difficult to put it down. The chapters dealing with the voyage from Seattle to Boston, through uncharted, ice-jammed, waters in the Arctic, are exciting and gave me the feeling that I was actually there on the scene. Well done to say the least.

Such a small boat in such a hazzardous sea. Very telling, full of detail, entertaining and worth the read

Bob Fischer

Humility does not come easily in life. Dick Juge had to fight for it, but in the end, got it in spades. He knows he was never the best student, made some mistakes in life and should possibly have chosen other paths, but today, a half century removed from his Coast Guard service, he offers no excuses for his actions as a young man. In fact, looking back, he realizes that his trip aboard the cutter Storis through the Northwest Passage was probably the most important formative event in his life. His book is charming, historical and well worth the read. Pick it up to see how a young man from New Orleans dealt with the extreme cold of the top of the world.

Full disclosure: I am the author's cousin and appear several places in this book. That said, most of the book is about people I've never met and places that I have never been, not least of which was the Arctic. This book really brings out what it was like to be coming of age in the 50s. The author tells a lot of funny stories, all of them on himself. Anyone who was growing up then, especially if they had time in the military service, will enjoy it.

I just got back from a mountain vacation and enjoyed reading this book. It certainly is well done and will bring back memories for anyone who has served in the military, no matter which branch, although I admit I don't know of anyone else who got 30 demerit's in basic training!

Having read this intriguing and adventurous book, it leaves one with a sense of having personally sat down with the author and listening to his well told military and personal history. It is written with ease and comfort, without pretense, much like hearing "Sea Stories" by a favorite uncle. Some parts of the book are painfully honest and gritty which adds much credence to this epic story about a young man's life in the U.S. Coast Guard.

The book is packed with eye witness accounts of a truly historic chapter in U.S. and world maritime history. Much of the book is based on personal journals, logs, the writer's letters to home, and collaboration of others who shared this Arctic adventure and subsquent circumnavigation of the North American Continent. This book is richly endowed with countless historic photos and illustrations that add flesh to this precisely written account.

Mr. Juge's book not only depicts his own story, but that also of the ship on which he served while in Alaska and the Arctic, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis. The Storis has a rich history beginning in WW2 and serving The USA for 65 years of meritorious service. This is a book within a book and is a must read for naval history buffs.

After finishing this book, I felt like I was parting with a former shipmate and close friend. It will be nice to take it from my bookshelf and revisit these remote places and personal trials of a boy becoming a man while serving his country in the U.S. Coast Guard.

It is the 50th anniversary of the ice-shattering Northwest Passage voyage that prompted the author to tell this story. Relying on letters, diaries, interviews, Coast Guard records and newspaper archives, the author takes us along not only on the ice-breaking tour around the North Pole, but through his own challenges as an 18 year old making decisions that led to his part as a crew memeber. This heartfelt, first-hand account is a tribute to the crews who brought the historic feat to reality as well as a mid-20th century American tale. Well-researched, often hilarious, sometimes touching, interesting throughout.