Customer Reviews

My Navy Too

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was very impressed with the author's writing style. Her story is one that needs to be told and she shows much courage in the telling. The Navy, like all our institutions, must move into the 21st Century and away from the "good ol' boy" management style that has prevailed far too long. Beth Coye gives a sound and eloquent discussion of the problems involved. Her story draws the reader in with each event. She is to be applauded for her fine book. I recommend it highly.

joemurphy33@yahoo.com

I enjoyed the historical perspective of reading about female officers a decade before I came along. The unique letter format of this book is well done and easy to follow, if a bit too long. But the whiny attitude got to me. It seems the protagonist spent her whole career thinking about her future and running to her admiral buddy for help. She also slams naval aviators. For those interested in learning about the next generation of female Navy officers, my memoir, "Navy Greenshirt: A Leader Made, Not Born," offers a different perspective. "My Navy Too" does not represent all women officers.

I'd call this a fictionalized memoir, allowing the author to take some liberties with her characters. The lives of the author, Commander Coye, and her lead character, Tucker Fairfield, seem to run in parallel. The inclusion of letters from friends and family brings out many political perspectives about the navy and in some degree the rest of the military, adding greatly to the read. Though many readers will have diverse opinions about the various issues raised, Coye is to be admired regarding the way these issues are handled. Those of us who were in the navy during those years can truthfully disagree with few of the author's conclusions. Women were second class personnel, very limited in their careers. Things are better today and career paths are much more open. Military gays and lesbians were, and still are, open to blackmail, not because of their military performance, but because of policy. Yet today the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is, as Tucker says, a wrong headed one-I firmly believe it's an ostrich approach to a fact of life. Gays and lesbians can and do honorably serve their country, so why this unpolicy hanging over their heads daily? Commander Coye has done a masterful job creating a book that should be required reading for any young person going into the military. Young women can see that the past wasn't roses and young men can learn why new policies concerning equality in the ranks are in place. I would strongly recommend this book. In plain terms, It's a Damn Good Read! Tom Williams, Chief Warrant Officer, U.S.Navy, Retired

"Commander Coye's message is aimed at the US Navy, but her story could easily be set in a corporate boardroom or in the upper hierarchy of a religious denomination. Coye reminds us that some still see the Earth as flat and the center of the universe, but we must see facts for what they are, and when antiquated values and injustice become apparent, proper remedies must follow...Yet for females and minorities, social justice continues to be steeped in white male hypocrisy. One of the strengths of this book is its objectivity, clearly recognizing the Navy's point of view through the eyes of CDR Tucker Fairfield's mentor and even those of RADM Fairfield, her father...a display of fairness, by the way, not granted to Tucker. "My Navy Too" is a sensitive and well written book enabling the reader to observe the pain of an exceptional officer competing to be all she could be, but with one hand tied behind her back. Finally, there are many ways to enjoy a book, but I think the most telling is when the reader experiences the author's feelings; there were many passages when I felt anger and frustration (and joy). Richard Boich, former U.S. Army officer and retired banker.

As a middle class, under educated, white male: It is neigh on impossible for me to compete with the highly professional reviews previously submitted by such an impressive array of readers. Never the less; perhaps my perspective, as a former enlisted RD1, Naval Instructor, Recruiter and retired police lieutenant, may serve to reinforce the importance and impact of "My Navy Too" in causing others of similar backgrounds to rethink their position on the issues addressed by CDR. Coye.

Through out my entire career, I've never entertained the notion that women were, or should be considered, second class citizens. On the issue of "Gays in the military" however, I must admit to ambivalent feelings.

My concerns were never related to antipathy toward gays, but rather security risks and unit cohesion. With women and gays, housing/berthing, on naval vessels were of major concern.

With the "Outing" of many gays, the security issue seems to have been put to rest. If they "Come out" the specter of black mail should no longer exist. As for the rest; I agree with the author, that job performance, and any overt conduct that detracts from it, should be the sole criteria for disciplinary action, retention and fitness reports. Merit, training prerequisites and the physical ability to perform the tasks, required of a particular career path, should be the only controlling factors in recruitment and advancement.

MNT is a well written, thought-provoking tract. It should be required reading for all, students and executives alike. The exclusion of so much talent and skill from mainstream America can only perpetuate the continued "Dumbing down" of our country and its great institutions, military and civilian.

My thanks to the author for both "MNT" and her arduous devotion to duty, honor, country.

George W. Dean Akron, Ohio 1/11/99 USN `57-`66

Excellent! A well-written and thought-provoking fact-based story about the U.S. Navy leadership's resistance to incorporating women as equals. The perspective is that of a lesbian woman's experiences with the Navy's distrust of women and rampant policy of homophobia. It is presented as a compilation of diary entries and letters to (and from) family and friends over her 27 year career, beginning in 1960.
Tucker Fairfield, the narrator, is a Navy Junior - that is, the child of a Regular Navy officer. She has always had high regard for the Navy. Her exposure to Navy brass while traveling billet to billet with her Admiral father has created a strong desire to serve.
Tucker is accepted into the WAVES Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. From the very first, her strong liberal feelings put her at odds with Navy policies and regulations. As a WAVE officer, she also finds herself inwardly rebelling against the chauvinistic attitudes expressed through both Navy regulations and many of the male officers she meets or with whom she serves. She is denied well-earned plum postings repeatedly simply because she is a woman..
In addition to her struggles with the Navy's distrust of women in the military, Tucker must deal with extreme homophobia. The story shows through her common workday daily experiences how homophobia (including the current Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy) insidiously damages rather than strengthens the establishment. There is tremendous mental stress generated by hiding an integral part of oneself from everyone around you. It is particularly difficult when you must also enforce homophobic regulations against good employees - in this case, WAVE sailors. If our military (and our country) was not so brutally homophobic - i.e., GLBT people had no fear of outing - the typical "security risk" rationale for disallowing their full participation would disintegrate into nothingness.
The book demonstrates inconsistencies between "Official Policy" and local Command attitudes and enforcement. Many commands were more interested in achieving their goals than enforcing regulations. Several commands are described as accepting and protecting their gay and lesbian personnel because of their excellent performance.
Over time, Tucker finds herself increasingly more uncomfortable hiding her attraction for certain women she meets and works with. After suppressing these feelings for years - and attempting to develop similar feelings for male associates - she accepts that she is lesbian. She enters surreptitiously into intimate relationships with women she meets in her work. But the strain of hiding this VERY IMPORTANT part of her life is too much. When she is tagged for promotion to Captain, she recognizes her need for a secure and open personal life. Instead of accepting the promotion, she resigns.
This is insightful, intelligent book that should make all readers think. I recommend it highly.

My Navy Too could serve as the sole source for anyone who wishes to understand the issues of sexuality in the United States Navy. CDR Coye presents her own point of view, and those of her peers, her friends, and Navy senior officers. With the help of her co-writers, she has managed to write an unbiased book, in spite of her own perspective. My Navy Too is gripping, fascinating, and hard to put down. Presenting her topic in the form of letters to and from her parents, her mentor, her friends (both male and female) makes this book incredibly moving and interesting. It spans a career of 21 years, from 1960 (and her life before the Navy) to 1981, during which time she discovers her own sexuality. Anyone who wishes to know what it is like to discover one is a homosexual will find her story enlightening; especially in the light of the differences in her feelings of love for a male friend, as compared to her love for a female friend. Mainly, she comes across as a person of character, ability, and integrity - who discovers her real sexual preferences. How she struggles to reconcile her own sexuality with her position as a naval officer (and eventually a commanding officer), given the Navy's policies regarding gays and lesbians, is the real meat of this book.

I approached My Navy Too differently than most readers because I was a WorldWar II submarine skipper as was the author's Father, RADM Jack Coye; I knew the author as a young lady, and followed her career. In addition, I know two of the co-authors, and had an opportunity to comment upon a draft of the text. Thus, I had some trouble reading the book as a novel since I viewed it as a biographical document with much meat for thought and discussion. Of course, the sexual orientation was a major element in the book, and is of importance today because the services have not yet fully come to grips with the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. As we read, we wonder whether Tucker's career and her attitude would have changed if she had been born ten years later--which would have given her the option of attending the Naval Academy with the first class of women in 1976. Further, she would have been in theservice when the decision to permit women on board combatant ships, and indeed, to give them command. The other aspects of the book may be more significant to the service reader, and to the general public as well. These include the many foreign policy matters that Buck and Tucker discuss, and actually introduce as Navy policy now and again. Leadership comes in for a full measure of discussion both in many incidents in which Tucker is instigator or on the receiving end. Buck and Tom both talk leadership from long experience, and much of what they have to say is valuable in today's military. The epistolary approach to the book is not unique, but it is unusual. In this case, it was effective, with Tucker's "For the record" diary providing continuity. I found it odd that the team Tucker assembled never met face to face, even though there were several opportunities such as her assumption of command in Hawaii, and her retirement ceremony there, too. In sum, I think "My Navy Too" is a book that should get wide distribution within the Navy, and the other services as well; and should be an educational experience to anyone who cares about our military today, and the problems it faces retaining qualified officers and men in the face of rigorous schedules and declining resources.

Highly readable account of the trials and triumphs women have been experiencing in the U.S. Navy in the last 40 years. The book is written as a series of letters that follow the chronology of personal, professional, political, and social events between friends, family and colleagues. This method of writing allows the reader to see many facets of the events that unfold. The letters in the book were written by different authors and this lends authentic personal style and perspective to the stories. I came away caring about the people, understanding better the navy way of life, and empathizing with the dilemmas of the main character, Tucker. One comes to understand her honor of the navy and thus feels as she does the betrayal by the enduring chauvinism, fear, and short-sightedness. Highly recommended!!

Comdr Coye in My Navy Too has written and assembled a powerful, entertaining and disturbing study of gender and sexuality discrimination in novel form. The approach permits her keen intelligence to shine with humor and entertainment. The protagonist could be of any different color, religion, gender, nationality, culture or sexuality; the premise is the same. Her work reflects the cruelty of white male attitudes be they colonial as in the South Pacific, Polynesians in French Tahiti; women in the Catholic Church, (where are the priests, the priests' wives?); or any minority looking for equality in our "American culture." It is a grand example of "Man's inhumanity to man" in a woman's life. Our fearful white, male, newly Viagra dependent, dominant culture cannot stand the heat. This superb work should be studied by every personnel planning person who wants to know the job.

Captain E.I. Malone, US Navy (Ret.)