The USS Midway first set sail in 1945, with thousands of brave Americans on board. By the time it returned to port for the final time in 1992, it had become the longest-serving U.S. Navy aircraft carrier of the twentieth century. This memoir tells the true story forged by these young sailors, their feelings of empowerment, accomplishment, and optimism in the life ahead. Spanning six decades, chapters cover the most important events of world affairs, witnessed by the crew.
Award-winning author and veteran journalist Scott McGaugh is an authority on naval history from the end of World War II through Operation Desert Storm. His interest and expertise in the naval aircraft carrier the USS Midway serves as the inspiration for his published works. It has also earned him interviews on the History Channel, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, FOX Network, and in such publications as The Tin Can Soldier and Mains'l Haul: A Journal of Pacific Maritime History. McGaugh is the marketing director for the USS Midway Museum. He makes monthly public speeches aboard the museum, and he serves as the spokesman for Midway University, the museum's rapidly expanding K-12 education program. In addition to his marketing work, McGaugh guest lectures at San Diego State University. As a member of the Public Relations Society of America's Counselors Academy, he holds an accreditation in public relations and has received the society's highest national award, the Silver Anvil. McGaugh studied international relations at Uppsala University in Sweden, and he earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Arizona State University. In his spare time he enjoys gardening and fly-fishing. McGaugh resides in San Diego, California.