Customer Reviews

The Right Thing

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I remember watching the news reports of the tragic collision between the USS Greeneville and the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru two years ago. I felt great compassion for the victims and their families, but I also felt sorry for the Sub Commander who despite his own grief over the 9 deaths, and the end of his career, found the strength to try and do what was right.

"The Right Thing" tells us the behind-the-scenes story of how Commander Waddle was left adrift at sea by the Navy in the aftermath of the tragedy with little direction, support or even adequate legal representation. Despite it all (guilt over the loss of life, the pain of being relieved of command, the intense pressure and expense of mounting a legal campaign to save his own life, being at the center of an international incident and media firestorm, and disappointment over the actions/inaction of the Navy he loved and served for 24 years)Commander Waddle took full responsibility for the accident and the performance of his crew. He even took the witness stand at great peril and against the strong advice of is lawyers. His requests to officially apologize after the incident were unheeded, and yet he felt compelled to personally apologize to the Japanese Government and to the families of the victims themselves. The irony here is that his actions after the event actually upheld the honor of the Navy and the United States, despite their treatment of him.

The testimony given in the Inquiry gives us the startling facts of what really happened and who actually had the information that could have avoided the accident.

I was inspired by this book. I was inspired by Commander Waddle's faith, determination and character. Ten chapters in I could not put it down and read until the early hours to finish.

How very appropriate that Waddle makes much of his years as an adolescent cheerleader, for that's the clue to his personality as revealed in this book. As a young man, he couldn't/didn't play the sport, he razzle-dazzled from the sidelines while hanging with the girls and staying all clean and pure.

Unfortunately, no amount of "rah rah" will erase the death of 9 innocents caused by his negligence. Rather than an "act of God", this was an act of a self-centered MAN who made an avoidable and terrible mistake. Even with the heavy schmaltz coating, Waddle reveals telling clues to the realilty of his career and performance: the Admiral who tries to transfer him early from command; the Chief of the Boat who leaves him in silence; the OOD and FT who don't speak up; the XO who "opposed his command"; him embarassing a CO concerning a subordinate. And how about the hubris of a man who takes time to SIGN PICTURES of the ship for his guests and gives them as momentos...I'm sure those guests REALLY needed that! The final gut-wrencher are the pictures of his grief and purporting to show his love of GREENEVILLE, wife and daughter...shameful.

I feel gypped that I lined his pocket with a royalty. In atonement, I will make a donation to any benevolent funds for EHIME MARU and GREENEVILLE.

Like several of the other reviewers, I too am a former enlisted submariner. I purchased this book to find out what really happened on the Greeneville. I remember watching in horror when this story reached the U.S. television sets. I had sadness for the families of the dead, and sadness for the crew of the Greeneville. The crew of a submarine does their job to the best of their ability. They follow the orders of their captain to a T. The Captain is ultimately responsible for the boat and the lives of everyone on board, and as this shows all too well, the lives of others in the vast oceans.

Did CDR Waddle feel bad about his actions? Yes. Did he apologize for his actions? Yes. However, something is missing here. It was almost like, I feel bad, I did wrong, it was an accident (and it was), but don't punish me.

Some military people will say that he was punished more than ample; he lost his command and his career. He was retired with a pension!

Other than that... I feel that CDR Waddle described much of the love of the fellow submariner that exemplifies the submarine force. The quality of the workers and the pride a submariner takes in his job. Good just isn't good enough.

I'm sure CDR Waddle is a good man. Good men make mistakes. Good men take responsibilities for their actions, pay for their mistakes and carry on. He appears to have done that, maybe not in the way that everyone would like or agree with.

I have read the NTSB report and the unclassified version of the Court of Inquiry by the Navy. Clearly there are significant problems with the author's memory as to both what happened and what he said at the time. Significantly, this accident happened because the captain violated his own standing orders which if followed to the letter probably would have prevented this tragic event. The person I feel sorrow for is the OOD who was known as methodical and exacting albeit slower than the captain liked. In the trial transcript several officers and crew testified to the carefulness of this junior officer OOD. But if the captain had not pushed the OOD to perform a maneuver in 5 mins which he admitted would take a more senior and experienced officer (than the OOD)at least 8 mins to complete, it is highly likely that the Greeneville would have either recognized the converging courses or might well have physically been several hundred yards away from the merchant ship. The captain also interrupted the OOD during the periscope scan which also compromised safety. There were many other more senior officers (to the OOD) who did nothing as the scenario evolved. While others did not perform their duties as well as they should have, the laxity in doing so came from the top down. Command at sea is absolute in authority and responsibility.

I was disappointed in this book. It's too preachy, and it's written at the third grade level. As a former submariner, I was hoping to get an inside look at the details of the accident and the politics of the Court of Inquiry. Instead, very little time was devoted to these subjects in between a rambling autobiography and a religious tract. Cdr. Waddle can stop shouting from the rooftops how much he loves his wife and his child and what a great son, father, husband, disciple and sailor he is. After the 20th time, it just wears thin. Granted, the US Naval Academy doesn't graduate idiots, and the Navy doesn't let knuckleheads command their premier warships. I get it. But just because you love your wife doesn't mean you didn't screw up. And screw up he did. Waddle unnecessarily rushed his crew, including a rookie Deck Officer who wasn't experienced and capable enough to handle the artificially rapid pace, and not secure enough to stand up to his CO and ensure the boat's safety. Waddle had guests on board to impress, and he got distracted and sloppy and violated his own standing orders.

Now 9,999 times out of 10,000 it wouldn't matter; it's a big ocean, but this time another ship happened to be in the way, and people got dead. Did he deserve a court martial and jail? No. But you can't kill people and keep your command, especially after an entirely avoidable accident. Its the same thing as if you are looking down and changing the radio station in your car when a kid runs in front of you and you kill him. Should you be driving paying attention with both hands on the wheel all the time? Yes. Were you negligent? Yes. Malicious? No. But 9 people dead, a diplomatic relations nightmare, and $100 million later: Someone has to bend over...

Waddle was a child of privilege, growing up overseas, and accepted to two military academies. He was groomed and nurtured by the Navy from the start. Even in spite of that, his career was almost derailed from the beginning, and only his getting into good graces with a senior officer allowed his service record to be cleaned up and made him eligible for command. I will have to search and find some other sources of information to get a better perspective on the accident. I would be interested in hearing the accounts of the FT and the deck officer. I'm sure, despite his claims, that Waddle wasn't beloved by his entire crew, either. No Captain is. In spite of all the rah-rahs, I know from experience that at least 70% of the crew was pissed off at having to spend a day driving VIPs around, including the reactor start-up crew that had to report at midnight or earlier the night before.

I respect Commander Waddle, and admire some of the things he accomplished, but I wouldn't serve with him. He is too cocky and the rules of navigation or chain of command don't apply to him, because he always knows better. And if a CO ever told me during a drill or on watch that the only perfect man to walk the earth died 2000 years ago, I would nod my head and say "Yes Sir, Skipper", and run screaming to my detailer as soon as we docked to get me off of this guy's ship. While that kind of statement (if it really happened) looks great in a book where you are trying to impress the public with what a great guy you are, it is entirely inappropriate for any workplace, military or otherwise. Nothing is scarier than a zealot with a weapon. As a Senior Chief once said to me, "God's on the surface, kid. Down here at 600 feet it's just you, me and the Russians".

I agree with the reviewer's statement that if Waddle was REALLY the saint he claims to be, he would donate all the proceeds from the book to the victim's families.

Apart from the distinguished military career and service to our nation, Scott Waddle has given all of us a reminder of what it means to be a leader in the world's finest Navy.

His openly contrite and genuine approach to dealing with the Ehime-Maru tragedy and the devasted Japanese families speaks volumens about the value and tradition of our Navy.

One good thing that has come out of the tragic accident is the reaffirmation of the special friendship that exists between the U.S. and Japan. It is remarkable to see how the two peoples have come together to heal the wounds and turn this ordeal into a new beginning.

Well done!

CDR Waddle's personal account of his journey through fire brings those of us who have never experienced personal and public tragedy the unique opportunity to witness the event through the eyes of the man who was at the center of it all.

Well written, thoughtful and compelling issues are bound to help those in need of help who are experiencing crisis in their lives.

Leaders and managers can learn from the successes and the shortcomings of this christian man.

An excellent read.

Scott Waddle was living the American dream. He had a great family and was following the advice we give our children: follow your passion and always do what is right. Commander Waddle's opportunity to follow his passion and serve his country was changed forever in a few seconds. Nine people drowned when the nuclear powered submarine he commanded accidentally sunk a Japanese trawler. Commander Waddle went from being perceived as one of the America's skippers of a nuclear powered submarine to being demonized by the international media. Many people in those circumstances would elect not to tell their story. Commander Waddle chose to do "what is right". Fortunately, Scott has written a story explaining his pursuit of his passion, the experience of going through a U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry in which he could have been court-martialled, his attempts to apologize for what happened to the nine Japanese on board the trawler who lost their lives and how he has begun to rebuild his life. This is a great story written by someone who has tried to do THE RIGHT THING.

Living in a world filled with seemingly very little good, it is such a welcome to hear and read about an individual who, by their actions, not by words alone, can carry the burden of so many, Comdr.Waddle is definitely in contact with the almighty to endure this ordeal. I had the honor to speak with Comdr.Waddle shortly after the accident and after reading this book I can say that the honor continues to be mine. He did not have to call and acknowledge a letter of encouragement that I had written, this in itself shows a tremendous amount of class and character...I was saddened at the lose of life during this terrible accident, but was inspired by the authors courage and the amazing show of character when most men in his position would have passed the buck or pointed fingers at others around him.. This book gives the reader an insight to details leading up to and after the accident which tells us, that life is full of ups and downs, pats on the back for a job well down, and kicks in the pants when we are less than perfect, but taking responsibility for ones actions is "the right thing" to do...If my children can develop, a portion, of the integitry and character that Comdr. Waddle has shown, then I will have succeeded as a parent.

If you've ever encounted a situation that changed your entire life and you needed a book to give you the courage to go on...The Right Thing is it. I loved the book. Not only for its messages about ethics and moralty, but also because it's a great lesson in standing up for what's right and taking responsibility for one's actions -- whatever the outcome.

Also, it's a great insider look at life in the military and what it is like to live on a submarine ... and be in a high ranking position, like Commander.

I enjoyed seeing the author on the Today Show and CBS This Morning, but reading about Scott Waddle's life answered all my questions about this horrific accident. I couldn't put the book down and I highly recommend it .