As the title suggests, Rear Admiral George R. Worthington’s RUNNIN’ WITH FROGS: A Navy Memoir is a comprehensive overview of one man’s career in the United States Navy. Following a brief overview outlining his early childhood during WWII and his stint at Brown University, Worthington dives head-first into the second phase of his story, beginning with active duty and his first assignment in 1962 aboard the USS Halsey Powell. From there, Worthington offers a detailed rundown of his military career, highlighting one impressive achievement after another. Be it anecdotes from his junior officer days, his Underwater Demolition Team training, or his time spent at the Pentagon, RUNNIN’ WITH FROGS succeeds in offering a detailed, first-hand account of Worthington’s ascent up the chain of command.
Of particular interest here are the chapters devoted to Worthington’s deployment with Seal Team One during the early seventies. While every branch of the U.S. military carries its own special forces unit, perhaps none has been more romanticized than the Navy SEALs. Be it books, television shows, or even Hollywood, pop culture has remained enamored with the idea of the elite amphibious fighting team for decades. To that end, Worthington’s harrowing account of his year spent in Saigon and the SEAL training that followed is a fascinating look into the early years of the Navy’s Special Forces.
For his part, Worthington is a skilled writer, providing vivid glimpses into the ups and downs of military life. While RUNNIN’ WITH FROGS primarily focuses on his Navy career, the true inspiration of this story lies in the book’s third and final section: Worthington’s transition into post-military life. As the author states in the final chapter, “Getting on with life has proven almost as challenging as active duty.” While the idea of ‘retiring’ and stepping away from that which defined your life is an understandably daunting proposition, Worthington eventually found a way to embrace his ‘retirement’ through hobbies like traveling, working out, and even skydiving.
While this is a military-themed book written by a military man, Worthington’s ability to translate the specifics of his career into a story that one might hear over a couple of beers adds an unexpected air of accessibility to the book. While the pages are riddled with names, dates, and military jargon, Worthington manages to weave a sense of personal context into this otherwise history-filled narrative. Add to that a generous selection of photos sprinkled throughout the text, and you have a memoir that truly captures the essence of Worthington’s life both on and off-duty.
For fans of military-themed texts and memoirs alike, Rear Admiral George R. Worthington’s RUNNIN’ WITH FROGS: A Navy Memoir thoroughly examines three-plus decades of service, offering readers a vicarious glimpse into nearly every facet of military life.
~James Weiskittel for IndieReader