This memoir of James Stavridis' two years in command of the destroyer USS Barry reveals the human side of what it is like to be in charge of a warship—for the first time and in the midst of international crisis. From Haiti to the Balkans to the Arabian Gulf<, the="" barry="" was="" involved="" in="" operations="" throughout="" the="" world="" during="" his="" 1993–1995="" tour.="" drawing="" on="" daily="" journals="" he="" kept="" for="" the="" entire="" period,="" the="" author="" reveals="" the="" complex="" nature="" of="" those="" deployments="" in="" a="" "real="" time"="" context="" and="" describes="" life="" on="" board="" the="" barry="" and="" liberty="" ashore="" for="" sailors="" and="" officers="" alike.="" with="" all="" the="" joy,="" doubt,="" self-examination,="" hope,="" and="" fear="" of="" a="" first="" command,="" he="" offers="" an="" honest="" examination="" of="" his="" experience="" from="" the="" bridge="" to="" help="" readers="" grasp="" the="" true="" nature="" of="" command="" at="" sea.="" the="" window="" he="" provides="" into="" the="" personal="" lives="" of="" the="" crew="" illuminates="" not="" only="" their="" hard="" work="" in="" a="" ship="" that="" spent="" more="" than="" 70="" percent="" of="" its="" time="" underway,="" but="" also="" the="" sacrifices="" of="" their="" families="" ashore.="" stavridis="" credits="" his="" able="" crew="" for="" the="" many="" awards="" the="" barry="" won="" while="" he="" was="" captain,="" including="" the="" battenberg="" cup="" for="" top="" ship="" in="" the="" atlantic="" fleet.="" naval="" aficionados="" who="" like="" seagoing="" fiction="" will="" be="" attracted="" to="" the="" book,="" as="" will="" those="" fascinated="" by="" life="" at="" sea.="" officers="" from="" all="" the="" services,="" especially="" surface="" warfare="" naval="" officers="" aspiring="" to="" command,="" will="" find="" these="" lessons="" of="" a="" first="" command="" by="" one="" of="" the="" navy's="" most="" respected="" admirals="" both="" entertaining="" and="" instructive.="" the="" barry="" was="" involved="" in="" operations="" throughout="" the="" world="" during="" his="" 1993–1995="" tour.="" drawing="" on="" daily="" journals="" he="" kept="" for="" the="" entire="" period,="" the="" author="" reveals="" the="" complex="" nature="" of="" those="" deployments="" in="" a="" "real="" time"="" context="" and="" describes="" life="" on="" board="" the="" barry="" and="" liberty="" ashore="" for="" sailors="" and="" officers="" alike.="" with="" all="" the="" joy,="" doubt,="" self-examination,="" hope,="" and="" fear="" of="" a="" first="" command,="" he="" offers="" an="" honest="" examination="" of="" his="" experience="" from="" the="" bridge="" to="" help="" readers="" grasp="" the="" true="" nature="" of="" command="" at="" sea.="" the="" window="" he="" provides="" into="" the="" personal="" lives="" of="" the="" crew="" illuminates="" not="" only="" their="" hard="" work="" in="" a="" ship="" that="" spent="" more="" than="" 70="" percent="" of="" its="" time="" underway,="" but="" also="" the="" sacrifices="" of="" their="" families="" ashore.="" stavridis="" credits="" his="" able="" crew="" for="" the="" many="" awards="" the="" barry="" won="" while="" he="" was="" captain,="" including="" the="" battenberg="" cup="" for="" top="" ship="" in="" the="" atlantic="" fleet.="" naval="" aficionados="" who="" like="" seagoing="" fiction="" will="" be="" attracted="" to="" the="" book,="" as="" will="" those="" fascinated="" by="" life="" at="" sea.="" officers="" from="" all="" the="" services,="" especially="" surface="" warfare="" naval="" officers="" aspiring="" to="" command,="" will="" find="" these="" lessons="" of="" a="" first="" command="" by="" one="" of="" the="" navy's="" most="" respected="" admirals="" both="" entertaining="" and="" instructive.="">