The modern U.S. nucelar Navy owes its roots to Hyman Rickover, and from what is described in Big Red, he would undoubtedly be proud of what goes on today. This story of a patrol in the USS Nebraska, an Ohio class ballistic missile submarine, is unusual in its level of access that the author was granted to chart the course of a patrol through its sailors and officers.

The U.S. Navy is rare in that its crews, especially on the "boomers," will sail for months underwater and still have few problems while at sea. The book does a credible job at describing the feelings of the men being away froh home and everyday things, as well as noting what goes on back home with their families.

The inevitable drills, maintenance issues and daily life aboard these submarines are described, as are the hopes of the men aboard that their mission never comes to pass. Big Red is a thoughtful account, but could use a little more revision in some of its facts and details. This is not meant to slam the book, since there are very few out there describing the silent service of today so thoroughly, but is just a general criticism.

As an interesting and informative work about the world of many of our young people in an elite, all-volunteer undersea world at work, this book deserves a spot on the submarine fan's library shelf.

After reading this book I may never be able to read another underwater fiction novel again. The book actually reads like a novel, with many characters contributing to the outcome of the book, with the difference being that this story is ongoing.

The points made in the book for the continuance of these deterrent patrols is a strong one. I am sure there are people who actually believe that the world is a great big happy place now and these submarines are an anachronism at best. And to those people I would say, read this book, see what is going on and sleep well.

However, and you knew there just had to be a "however", I have just one criticism of the book. Or to be precise, the way some of the crew members are described. It is almost a reverse prejudice, a sort of "look how much we entrust to these people" kind of thing. What I mean by this is that when Mr. Waller is describing crew members, he invariably tells of them being tall, dark haired, whatever. But when a Black crewmember is described, Mr. Waller goes out of his way to point out that this is a Black person he is talking about. Almost as if to say, "see, they are here and we do give them important jobs." I have actually noticed this sort of thing in other books, and it just seems to leap off the page at me when I see it.

Aside from this, the book is excellent and I would rate it a "go out and buy" type of book. You will not be dissappointed.

I finished this book wanting to read more. As I read the part about the simulated launch of the missiles, I was chilled to the bone about what would happen if they had to be launched for real. I have a better apreciation of the Navy, especially its submarine service, because now I know that it is in excellent hands.

The majority of the book is awesome; highly readable and informative. The chapter on the Navy SEALs' Hell Week was truly harrowing, and the description of the Robin Sage exercise for the Green Beret trainees was also very engrossing.

The one chapter that ruins the book for me, and drops my rating from 5 stars to 3 is the chapter on USAF Spec Ops. The sister services special operators are depicted for the hard-core ground-pounding "shooters and looters" (as Dick Marcinko might say) in lengthy and substantive prose, yet the chapter on the Air Force operators is the thinnest one in the book, and merely describes a helicopter flight???

Excuse me, but it's stuff like this that continues to teach the public the incorrect notion that all the USAF does is fly. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for our SpecOps chopper pilots (one of my best friends is a Pave Hawk pilot, and a former acquaintance of mine flies Pave Lows), but our special operators function as more than mere aerial bus drivers for the "killers" from the Rangers, SEALs, Delta Force, et al. We have our own ground-pounding killers, namely--HOOYAH!!--Combat Controllers (CCTs) and Pararescue Jumpers (PJs). CCT and PJ candidates go through Indoc Week, a period of physical and mental privation that is very much on a par with Hell Week at BUD/S school. Yet these guys get a mere one-sentence mention in Mr. Waller's book, and this does them a tremendous disservice.

This is a very insightful book that is clearly well researched. The author really sheds light on the types of training and the selection process that American Special Forces soldiers must endure. The Green Beret training was particularly insightful because the author takes you along on some of the war games that the soldiers have to play. The author travels along to "Hell Week" that all Navy Seals have to endure. Where the author stands out, is that he successfully captures the personalities and emotions of the people that he follows. They all come from unique backgrounds, and the author really captures how their personalities affect their thinking as soldiers. I especially liked the fact that the author did a section on Air Force special forces pilots, the guys who fly the helicopters that deliver the more glamourous ground troops. They don't get enough recognition in the action world of hollywood. However, one wonders who designed such a complicated helicopter. REad the book, and all will be explained. The one big disappointment in the book (the reason I'm giving it three stars) is the limited look at Delta Force (the anti-terrorist force). Compared with the rest of the book, this section lacked the detail that made the other sections interesting. This was probably the section that I was most looking forward to so it was quite a disappointment. 3/4 of the book is hugely enjoyable but that one section was a bit lacking.

Commandos is the most in-depth and accurate book about special operations that I have ever read. It is refreshing, and surprising, to see this subject openly addressed, giving hard-earned credit to the men who have worked their tails off to become the absolute best, in the service of their country, while allowing uninitiated readers a realistic glimpse into a mysterious world. I don't claim to personally be completely knowledgeable about this field, but I have worked in the special ops community for a dozen years, in a support role. Based on my knowledge, I can say with confidence that Waller is right on target. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in elite military forces. I also recommend Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down, which deals specifically with the 1993 Task Force Ranger raid in Mogadishu, Somalia.

I bought this book because I've been accepted for Navy pilot training and want to know more about what's in store for me. The information contained in Air Warriors was interesting and useful, but very poorly presented. The author writes like a seventh grader, and the organization of the text is not very good. Waller tries to interweave the stories of several people (in a failed attempt to emulate Amy Tan's far better execution of the technique in The Joy Luck Club), but some of the stories are just not long enough to warrant this approach. He is obviously trying to write in a style that is not natural for him. In many cases, he leaves the reader wondering what happens to a certain "character" (these are real people he's writing about, after all) until a skimpy summary section at the end. Waller had the potential to write a good book, but his writing style (or, rather, lack thereof) gets in the way.

As a former US Navy attack pilot (A-6), I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Naval aviation. Contrary to popular fiction (fueled by recruiting propaganda, of course), the job and lifestyle of the Navy aviator is not best described in what you see in Top Gun or on the Discovery channel.

The Fly Navy experience as much about failure, visceral fear, and emotional ambiguity as it is about Maverick getting laid and bending around at the speed of sound. I am particluarly impressed at how skillfully the author captured the gut-wrenching grind that the attrition (errr training) program is all about.

This book gets 5 stars in its category and 3 stars for general literary merit. For those interested in this genre, I also recommend "Iron Claw", written by an actual EA-6 aviator.

I can't say enough good things about this book 'cept short of joining the Navy to try and be admitted into their flight program, this is the closest you are ever going to be inside a fighter jet cockpit.

Waller's writing style brings depth and personality to naval flight training. A splendid book recounting the trials and tribulations of becoming a naval aviator, not just a fighter pilot. Here, here.

Semper Fi,
F.Lee

I spent many years on Trident SSBN Submarines and went through nearly every evolution that one can do including new construction, refit, torpedo and missile launches, patrols and 'unique' operations. I found Mr Waller's book to be lacking in depth, access, and in many cases, technically inaccurate. I found his generalizations and stereotypes of the crew, enlisted and officer alike to be bordering on the offensive. While it may be a lively read for a civilian, it serves as only an introductory course to life undersea. It is quite obvious that Mr Waller did not spend 90 days underwater on the Nebraska as his story consists mainly of anecdotal evidence, much experienced secondhand and only includes any amount of depth in the first brief portion of a patrol upon which 'riders' like himself would normally be part of. A full SSBN patrol is a physical, emotional and pyschological endurance marathon that is unlike any other experience. I would recommend this book to people unfamiliar with the submarine service for it does provide entertainment and insight. I would not however recommend this as a factual account that accurately reflected the experiences of life on patrol.

Big Red
Three Months On Board
A Trident Nuclear
Submarine
By Douglas C. Waller
Harper Collins
Doug Waller is probably the best military writer alive today in the non-fiction category.
His earlier book, "Air Warriors: The Inside Story of the Making of a Navy Pilot," was must reading for anyone who has the slightest interest in military aviation.
Now he's come out with a fascinating 330-page insider's report on another aspect of the military spectrum. It's called "Big Red" because "Red" is the USS Nebraska, SSBN-739, a top secret "boomer," a nuclear-powered, long-range, ICBM-carrying undersea warship which patrols silently and secretly for up to three months at a time.
Somehow, Waller persuaded the Navy brass to let him ride along on a three month patrol and write down what he saw and heard. In this book, you'll find out that the nuclear threat portrayed in the popular film "Crimson Tide" couldn't happen, and why. You'll also learn that boomer sailors may be among the hardest working crews ever to take to sea; in the modern Navy, anyway.
For 90 days, they exist on 18 hours days, of which 12 of those are either standing watch, working their specialty, studying, practicing, eating or reading manuals. In between, there are drills, drills and more drills. From battle stations to man overboard to launching missiles to fire in the torpedo section, sub sailors are constantly called upon to perfect their craft.
All this without even a window to look out of.
What possesses a man to seal himself inside of a metal tube for 90 days, twice a year, out of touch and out of reach of family, friends and loved ones, only to face endless seven-day weeks of training, studying, drilling and worse - with no privacy? Isn't it like being in prison with the possibility of drowning?
After you spent time with Big Red, you'll better understand these modern heroes and feel a lot more secure about whose fingers are on the nuclear buttons.
Waller's writing is fast-paced, conversational and fun to read. An amazing book.

Douglas Waller has a real talent for immersing you in the world of the present-day American submariner. He deals not just with the technical nuts and bolts of the nuclear powered Trident submarine Nebraska, but he gives you a real feel for the crew, both individually and collectively. I suspect that this is a somewhat sanitized view of life under water; after all he did live with these men for an extended period of time, undoubtedly shared confidences with them, and almost certainly grew to like and admire them. He probably wouldn't produce a "reveal all" expose as a result. Yet having stated that caveat, to the uninitiated at least the book nonetheless rings true. This a valuable contribution to our understanding of why the American military is usually so successful, and offers an insight into how it maintains the United States as the last remaining superpower. In many respects, Waller's writing does for the undersea navy what the likes of Anna Simons ("The Company They Keep: Life Inside the U.S. Army Special Forces") have done for other branches of the military. Not only is this a good, entertaining read, but it is an excellent study into the sociology of a very unique, small, but surely very important social group!