Title: Runnin’ with Frogs: A Navy Memoir
Author: George R. Worthington
Publisher: Authors Press
ISBN: 1643146262
Pages: 232
Genre: Biography
Reviewed by: Dan MacIntosh
Hollywood Book Reviews
Although George R. Worthington’s memoir is centered around his American naval career, it also reads like an overview of modern military history. Worthington’s military career began at the U.S. Naval Academy, and his first assignments began in the early 1960s. His career took him from Hell Week training, all the way up to the highest corridors of American political power. Few have seen American history from so many different angles and Worthington does a fine job exploring all of these various points of view with his book.
Upon finishing this book, one comes away amazed at Worthington’s sharp memory. He’s able to recall exact details from all the many phases of his career – when most of us sometimes struggle to remember what we had for dinner the night before. With that said, though, sometimes detailed memories don’t always translate into easily digested content. There’s just so much meat here, the reader may find it tough going taking it all in at times. It’s a whole lot of information, that’s for sure.
Worthington certainly had a noteworthy career. He was successful both physically (as a skilled swimmer) and as a government official (able to easily talk policy with members of congress). One way this book could have been even better, though, is if he had made it a little more personal. Toward the book’s end, he speaks about how his son has followed in his military footsteps – so to speak. However, we learn few bits of information about his son. After all, parenthood is as important as career advances, if not more so. While Worthington does an excellent job describing his many accomplishments, he doesn’t tell us too much about his personal life. One is left to wonder about Worthington’s family life and how his military career impacted his home – for better or worse.
With a decorated life like his, Worthington has certainly been blessed to see a lot of the world. Some of the book’s most effective and touching moments took place when he was stationed in Vietnam. It’s here we get a rare glimpse into his impressions of the country and its people. His time there clearly left an indelible mark; one that will always remain vivid in his mind.
It’s also obvious Worthington cares deeply for organizations where he served. It’s easy to become jaded by time spent in the Navy. ‘Military intelligence’ has jokingly been called an oxymoron for good reason: it’s not always all too smart. Although Worthington gets in a few jabs at these institutions now and again, he is much more often deeply respectful. Although he never comes out and says it, the book makes it obvious that Worthington believed in making the American military better before he left it. In many ways, he did just that. His book lists numerous instances where he was able to make organizational improvements, instead of settling for, ‘Well, that’s just the way it is.’
Sure, you can watch war movies and get a glimpse into how the American military operates. However, with George R. Worthington’s strong recollections, you’ll get a precise, detailed description of what it’s really like to be on the inside, from grunt work to government work. Indeed, during his time runnin’ with the frogs, Worthington ran his race extremely well.