GregAtlanta’s latest book, Sailors to the End, a detailed account of the 1967 fire aboard the aircraft carrier Forrestal that claimed 134 lives, was released to the public this past July 9. This past Monday, 7/29, Greg attended a ceremony in D.C. commemorating the 35th anniversary of the disaster and taped an interview for NPR’s Weekend Edition along with the then captain of the Forrestal. The interview will air this Saturday, August 3, 2002 at 8:20AM EDT (the show itself starts at 8:00AM EDT). For you Phoenix Dopers, Weekend Edition is broadcast at 6:00AM and again at 8:00AM, so you can catch the interview at 6:20 or 8:20AM.
WTG, GregAtlanta! As it happens, I was in B&N the other day, and I saw that book on their “New Non-Fiction” table. I read the jacket and flipped through it, thought it looked really good, and mentally added it to my “to-read” list. I had no idea, though, that it was written by a Doper. Now I’ll make sure I buy the hardcover.
Did you stick around until, 9:30 Mauvaise? The interview ended up getting played at 9:20 here. I was pleased with the length; I think it went at least 10 minutes, as opposed to most of the other interviews that only lasted about 2-5 minutes. Greg was well-spoken. He has a good radio voice–sounded like he has some familiarity with broadcasting.
I did hear bits and pieces, yes. I had to leave the house at 9.30, so I was running around getting ready. I am sorry I didn’t get to pay as much attention to the interview as it deserved, but what I did hear was very interesting. I think he (Greg) did an excellent job.
Heard the piece, and there’s an article in the Sunday (Atlanta) paper. Greg, do you live in Atlanta? I was wondering if you were going to be on that local “Between the Lines” show on WABE.
Yep, I live in Atlanta.
Not booked (as of now) on “Between the Lines” but I’ll be on “Good Day Atlanta” on Channel 5 on the morning of Thursday, August 8, then a signing that night at 7p at Chapter 11 Books, 10945 State Bridge Rd in Alpharetta.
Then there’s another signing on Saturday, August 10, at 2p at Waldenbooks at Northlake Mall, 4800 Briarcliff Road NE.
I finished the book this past weekend. It was an excellent read. Greg handles the technical jargon well, preceding each term with a thorough explanation so that everything going on is understandable to the reader. He also pays a lot more attention (justifiably) to the faulty ordnance blowing up on the deck than the official Navy report on the Forrestal fire did. I think those of you have served in the Navy and have sat through the Forrestal film during firefighting training in particular will find this book pretty fascinating. From what I hear, the sailors actually fighting the fire are often given a bum rap.