Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground

The book which preceded Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts (Imperial Grunts) was an informative and touching collection of snapshots of service men and women stationed on the edges of America's military map. As of this writing, I haven't finished Hog Pilots, but it's clearly cut from the same cloth. I'm profoundly grateful for the specific individuals mentioned in these books as well as their un-named brothers and sisters - all of whom faithfully serve us with ingenuity and determination. I'm also grateful that Robert Kaplan is willing to drag his 50-something bones out to these remote and dangerous places to bring these stories back to us.

'Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts' by Robert D. Kaplan Kaplan's most recent work is an extremely well written military travelogue in the style of his previously released, 'Imperial Grunts'. 'Hog Pilots' takes the author into other far flung spots of the globe, both in the news & out, to demonstrate the US Military's ability to provide civilian aid and training to countries requiring our assistance. A major theme examined in this book is the rise of China as a superpower and how our armed services have tailored their exercises to meet this global paradigm shift. Additionally, the inter-military nature of the services we provide countries around the globe is a recurring topic - the "purple" or cross service nature of deployments illustrate just how effective our military branches have become working cooperatively & efficiently. Mr. Kaplan's fine writing style never disappoints and readers with any level of interest in the military and it's inner workings will thoroughly enjoy 'Hog Pilots'. - JC

Mr Kaplan pulls off a rather amazing feat here, he goes beyond the headlines and shows the real war on terror and how all the negative press has not permeated into the professionalism of the US military. Of greater value is that Kaplan focuses as much on the average enlisted personnel as he does on the commanding officers and academy graduates. While one could argue that Kaplan is too much of a cheerleader, he really should be with the people he is dealing with. He makes no secret of his admiration of these volunteers who are highly skilled and well trained. This differs greatly with so called "impartial" media outlets who only demonstrate the negative and ignore the good news. So enjoy a rare upbeat profile of America's fighting men and women.

I am currently a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps with an extensive military family background. I have read Robert Kaplan extensively and have enjoyed everything he has written and this is no exception. I consider myself a political moderate. Kaplan does an expert job of getting down and dirty with troops in far flung regions and applies their strategic importance to the current political situation. Anyone who has read Kaplan before will not be disappointed. On the contrary, this has only served to further whet my appetite for his writing. If you are looking to inform yourself on military affairs and how they relate to international affairs, BUY THIS BOOK ALONG WITH IMPERIAL GRUNTS!

Robert Kaplan's sequel to his in-depth study of American troops stationed in varied Third World nations, "Imperial Grunts" has just been published. "Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts" details the lives of Navy and Air Force noncoms in the same clear, detailed, engaging way. I've just begun reading it, and am enjoying it enormously. His description of the "rendezvous" of a tanker and supply ship with the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer, is worth the price of the book. The precision of the action is emphasized by Kaplan when he points out that few other navies can pull off an "Un-Rep" (an underway replenishment) under full steam. He compared it to a docking in space. And the tale takes only a few pages near the front. I read with gratification how Marines are training troops in Niger to oppose encroaching Islamofascist terrorists, and how highly (it was obvious) the Nigerans regarded their American trainers in the chapter, "America's African Rifles.". If, like me, you've never been in the military, you'll learn things about the military here you could never learn elsewhere. If you've been in the military, Kaplan will introduce you to branches of the service even you know nothing about. There is simply no other way to learn so much about our world-girdling American imperial grunts than by accompanying a talented, inquisitive writer on his world-hopping tour of the our military via his books. Warmly recommended.