I am not a big shopper. Actually. Scratch that. I am not a shopper at all. I make a list, I check it twice, I go to the store, and I buy what is on my list. However, I do book shop. All the time. I love it. Library displays, book store shelves, estate sales: anywhere where words are given, rented, or sold I am happy. I am also the person that reads the random books that people leave in vacation rental homes (some of my favorite reads are from those finds). But I digress.
This month’s impulse read is brought to you by the church library. Browsing through the biography/autobiography section, I found one that jumped out to me. I love a good story of a person that I have not heard of until now. Someone with a new and fresh story for me to explore. This was story of The Right Thing by Commander Scott Waddle (Retired). And this was also the story of the U.S.S. Greenville told from the eyes of the man who captained her that day.
This was a story that I lived through and should probably know, but I was much younger when this tragic event occurred in our Nation’s history (2001) and if I was told about it I do not remember. So I was able to live this historic event as it was told and I have rarely had such a feeling of dread as I did when he began to recount the moments before the accident.
The collision of the U.S.S. Greenville with a civilian Japanese fishing boat was horrible and tragic. It made news around the globe and was caused by a chain of decisions that never should have happened. The story has been documented and told elsewhere. What you will not find on Wikipedia is CMDR. Waddle’s unwavering faith in God and His sovereignty over every detail. What you will not read in a history book is the unending integrity of one man and his family in the face of terrible tragedy. The Lord brought him through and continues to use his testimony today. I highly recommend this autobiography of the lesser-known faith of a well-known man.