The Honorable Way: Life Lessons Aboard a Destroyer in the Western Pacific, 1963
After his graduation from Princeton University and Naval Officer Candidate School, Bud Mackey finds himself aboard the USS Chevalier (DD 805) in 1963 as it powers its way across the Pacific toward the Gulf of Tonkin. Along the journey, he contemplates major events of WWII, writes poetry about his experience, and journals about the people and places he encounters.
In this memoir, based on old journals and logbooks, Mackey shares his trenchant and often humorous descriptions of life on the high seas and in port. “We had the experience but missed the meaning,” he writes. Ultimately, this is his attempt to glean insight from those long-ago days.
Author: Edmonds Prufrock Mackey
"...delightful, insightful, and totally charming memoir"
— Christopher Leonard, New York Times Bestselling Author of Kochland and The Lords of Easy Money.
About the Author
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Edmonds “Bud” Prufrock Mackey was born in Columbus, Ohio, attended Saint Paul Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota and New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, and graduated from Princeton University in 1961. After completing Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, he served on West Coast destroyers home ported in San Diego, California. From May till November 1963, his ship, the USS Chevalier (DD 805), was deployed to the western Pacific and the Gulf of Tonkin. Mackey is a resident of Kansas City and the author of Princess of the Mockingbird, an Illustrated Fable.
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Praise for The Honorable Way
“Author Bud Mackey weaves a fascinating story as he brings us along with him through his Pacific Ocean sea duty, providing an adventure that is experienced in real life by only a few. As I read the last page, I wanted more!” —J. Robert Cook, Past Region President & National Director, Navy League of the United States, and former US Navy officer
“This book is a delightful, insightful, and totally charming memoir that captures a long-lost America we’d all do well to remember. Mackey’s coming-of-age story is one for the ages, giving readers a front-row view as he sees the world from the deck of destoyer. It’s a ride you won’t soon forget.” — Christopher Leonard, New York Times Bestselling Author of “Kochland” and “The Lords of Easy Money.”
This is an exceptional book — a beautiful memoir written by the young Mr. Mackey as he traveled across the Western Pacific on a Naval destroyer in the early 1960's. The book is interesting historically, but what makes it exceptional is Mackey's personal touch, as he writes with charm and grace about fascinating people he encountered and unforgettable personal experiences he had as a young seaman during this important era in our country's life. Find the time to read this wonderful book — it is a remarkable story you will never forget. — Bill Pratt