Navy Crash Crew

It was 1963, and John F. Kennedy was president, Author Kenneth R. Trout, just a high-school student, had heard of the Vietnam War, and it seemed it had been going on for some time. On April 10, 1963, two days after his seventeenth birthday, the submarine USS Thresher SS-593 sank during a test dive in the Atlantic, with the loss of all hands. A few days later, Trout dropped out of high school without finishing his junior year. Now, nothing was holding him back from realizing the goal he'd had since he was twelve. Trout just needed his father's permission.

In Navy Crash Crew, Trout shares a month-to-month account of his serving two years as a part of a US Navy crash, fire, and rescue crew stationed at Barbers' Point, Hawaii. He offers stories, lively conversations, locations, and vivid descriptions that provide insight into his life at this time.

Combining history and old Hawaiian legends with humor, tears, and tragedy, Navy Crash Crew presents a look at Trout's service to his country.