Sense of Honor (Bluejacket Books) [Paperback]

James Webb (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bluejacket Books | Publication Date: April 1995

Former Secretary of the Navy, Navy Cross recipient, and Marine officer James Webb lit the fires of controversy with this startling inside look at life at the U.S. Naval Academy when "A Sense of Honor" was first published in 1981. Some of his fellow Academy graduates attacked it as exaggerated and extreme, but Webb's portrayal of a gung-ho first classman's campaign to shepherd an unprepared plebe through the academy's complex and unforgiving ethos was hailed as a "considerable achievement" by the "New York Times" and "a remarkable moral statement" by the "Boston Globe."

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557509174
• ISBN-13: 978-1557509178
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the shadow of Vietnam, February 1, 2005

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sense of Honor (Hardcover)

"A Sense of Honor," the novel by James Webb, tells a story of life at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and is set in 1968. Webb looks at the fiercely regimented life of the school's midshipman, who prepare to become Navy and Marine Corps officers as the Vietnam War rages on. The book jacket notes that Webb is himself a graduate of the Naval Academy and a highly decorated Marine.

The main characters in the novel include the following. Bill Fogarty is a first class (senior) midshipman; he is a tough, disciplined man who boxes and aspires to be a Marine Corps officer. John Dean is a fourth class (freshman) midshipman; he's academically brilliant, but also a whiny misfit who enrages the upperclassmen. Ted Lenahan is a Marine Corps captain, a combat veteran of Vietnam whose job is to mentor midshipman.

These and other characters are among the elements that make this a gripping novel. Webb has crafted a vivid and revealing portrait of Annapolis life--the rituals and slang, as well as relationships among midshipmen, academic faculty, and officer mentors. Through his characters Webb asks piercing questions about leadership and character. Particularly interesting is his presentation of a contrast between "technocrats" and "warriors" in the officer corps.

Webb captures the pain, loneliness, frustration, pride, and triumph of military life. He evokes a sense of the midshipman forming a "tribe," a sort of highly specialized subculture within the larger military culture. Although over 20 years old, this book remains powerful and relevant as a new generation of midshipman continue to learn and train in the shadow of the war on terror.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, November 3, 2001

By 

Savant11 "Savant11" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sense of Honor (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

Being a huge fan of military colleges, I was pleased as punch at finding this book. I have never been to Annapolis neither do I know anyone who has gone there. But I can not help but feel that this is what it really must have been like to attend the school at least in the 1960's ...

Anyway some of the reasons I feel that this is an accurate description of the school is that James Webb is a decorated member of the military and one of the schools most illustrious graduates. He isn't some disgruntled man who wants to get back at the school by writing a bitter memoir as is the case with Lucien Truscott "Dress Grey" (based on his time at West Point). Another thing I loved about this book is how Webb rips off the shinny veneer of Annapolis being an elitist institution. Too many times when you read a book about the service academies the author makes it look like paradise on earth. There is none of this in a Sense of Honor. Yes you can get the sense that while Annapolis is a great school it is certainly not perfect and without its probblems.

I think that this book is one of the most balanced books I have ever read. A Sense of Honor basically covers three stages of men who have attended Annapolis. There is Ted Lenehan a marine corps officer and Annapolis grad who has returned to the school as Tactical officer after being injured in Vietnam. Bill Fogarty a gung ho fourth year or first class midshipman who though he sometimes complains about the life he has to endure at Annapolis is whole-heartedly devouted to the military and can not abide those who are not ship shape. John Dean a first year midshipmen or plebe who has transfered to Annapolis simply for the "education" he hates the military life but by the end of the story he finds out what he is made of. The story takes place over the period of about at week, but amazingly Webb seems to cover every facet of the school its traditions, to the pranks that the mids play on their commanding officers.

Why this book has not been made into a film yet is beyond me. It really is that good.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable insight into the soul of military life, February 1, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sense of Honor (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

I've read this excellent work three times - each reading has provided me with inspiration and valuable perspective for different stages of my life. I first read this novel as a high school student in 1986, when I was pursuing an appointment to the Academy. I went to my local library in New York and checked out what proved to be the only book about the Naval Academy. It provided me with the "big picture" prior to immersion in the hell of Plebe Year. Boy was I glad that I had read it - braced up against a bulkhead in the 120 degree heat of a "hotbox" (metal connector between two wings of Bancroft Hall) holding my M-14 straight out ahead of me, desperately hoping that I wouldn't be the "weak link" in my platoon to drop his piece. Later on in Plebe year, I read it again - it gave me the resolve to persevere through the "dark ages" - and survive a solo comearound with the Brigade Commander. Finally, I read it after graduating the Academy in '92, and it gave me a completely different view on what I'd just survived - not as a Plebe, desperately trying to make it to Herndon, but as a leader with responsibilities to do the right thing - damn the consequences... and it also allowed me to finally understand the original dedication that is completely cryptic to all but Academy graduates. This is a perfect gift (that, until this edition, has long been out of print) for anyone contemplating attending the Naval Academy or for someone who needs to garner an understanding about the neccessary "harshness" of military life.