Book Review: Sea Stories: Tales about Leadership, Morale and More

Review
Looking for that perfect book that takes you from your reading chair to the high seas of adventure? Look no further than this book which contains 40 separate stories from the author's 20-year service in the U.S. Navy. Some of these stories are quite short, others are not. 

Some stories are humorous; a couple are grim; some people will find one of them a bit disgusting. All are based on real people and real events. A few are liberally laced with profanity but most of them are not. 

These tales from the author's Navy days are meant to be educational as well as entertaining. After all, sea stories - whether real or imagined events - have something in common with myths and folklore. 

So what is a sea story? Ask any Sailor or Marine, especially "seagoing" Marines. On occasion, they are mostly fact. At other times mostly fantasy. Sometimes they are reconstructions of the way things should have been and others are works of pure imagination - which are the most fun and most memorable. 

Perhaps the most popular and timeless sea story repeated over and over again deals with making the distinction between the "Old" Marine Corps with the current one at the time of its telling. It begins on November 10, 1775, at Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia where Navy officers interviewed the first prospect willing to join the Marine Corps. After numerous applicants were turned down, they finally found a young man who fit their requirements. They had him sign the book, paid him his dollar, and bought a round of rum to toast his enlistment followed by a second-round before sending him off to a table in the corner to wait. After a few more interviews, they found a second recruit, who soon joined the first. "This is great," the second recruit said. "They paid me right away, and even bought me a tot of rum!" "Humph" sneered the first. "In the Old Corps, they bought us two." 

I recommend this fun, entertaining and informative book for anyone and believe they will find something in the stories to which they can relate. It is also an easy read since it can be read chapter by chapter as each of the 40 episodes stand on their own. This is especially true for those with a busy schedule who can enjoy a chapter or two in a matter of minutes and come back later to read a few more. 

In his parting words, the author wrote: "This concludes the sea stories I have to tell at this time. Do I have more? Yes, I do, but as my wife has so firmly pointed out, "You can't tell those." So these will have to do for the time being.

Reader Reviews
Fred Nickols shares authentic stories from his U.S. Navy career in a humorous way. I read a sea story a day. He adds a lesson learned about human nature and human relations that are short and sweet. It made me remember and reflect upon a few sea stories of my own! I plan to pass this treasure trove along to another Navy person to enjoy.
~Amazon Customer

I have known about the author for some 20 years through our common interest in Perceptual Control Theory (mentioned on page 95) but met him just once along the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection of stories; laughed my head off in places, and came to better understand where Fred is coming from in his current role as an independent management consultant.

These enjoyable stories not only shed light on life in the navy as experienced by the people who actually make the ships function but provide a perspective on life in any big organization and the importance of human touch.

Once I got into it, I could not put it down until I came to the very last page.
~Dag Forssell

About the Author
Fred Nickols was born in Fort Madison, Iowa in 1937. He is a retired, decorated Navy chief petty officer and a fire control technician, charged with operating, maintaining and repairing complex, shipboard weapons systems (guns and missiles).
He currently writes and consults about various aspects of workplace management, including human behavior, performance, and productivity.