A Destroyer Sailor's War By Jerome S. Welna (405 pages) Reviewer:  B.R. Ditter Overall Rating: Three Stars: Recommended. A solid effort.  Mr. Welna begins the narrative of his experiences in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres with an excellent telling of the immediate history preceding WWII. Impressive is that this portion of the book contains the recollections of the author as a junior and senior in high school. At an early age the author possessed a keen sense of awareness about the world around him. As with most books written about the destroyer and the men that served on them, this book will resonate with tin can sailors. Unlike many books of the genre that tell about the Pacific battles only, this author's experiences during his three years of service took him from the beaches of Normandy while on the USS BARTON (DD-722) to the final battle of the Pacific, Okinawa, while on the USS STERETT (DD-407). For this reviewer, Mr. Welna's descriptions of the actions at Normandy were revealing in their detail. Not much has been told about the role of the navy in the European theatres, and his effort to address that is to be applauded. Also, incorporated into his narrative are glimpses of a war weary Ireland and England. His experiences while in the Pacific, on what must be one of the most decorated destroyers in the fleet (and as the author proclaims the luckiest), underscores the enormity of our losses to the enemy. The number of men killed or wounded and ships lost to torpedoes, bombs, kamikazes, suicide boats and suicide swimmers are almost too great to comprehend. The author does not try to personalize the losses as he recounts the litany of lost souls, ships that sink within minutes leaving entire crews either dead, dying or in the water waiting to be saved. Everyone should be reminded of the sacrifices made for this country by its countrymen. Mr. Welna's story is an easily read documentary of one man's experience. It is a story told well. Availability: Tin Can Sailors Ship's Store: $30.00 media rate $35.00 priority For signed copy from the author $35.50 (includes shipping) email: welna@q.com Amazon.com