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Book Review: The Last Sentry

The Last Sentry: by Gregory D. Young, Nate Braden

Stories abound in our popular culture with tales of well meaning "rebels" attempting to overthrow the system. Its a common theme in American culture, to the point that historical stories like the "mutiny on the bounty" have become twisted from a story of a seasoned and experienced sea captain and a mutinous criminal crew to one of a bloated incompetent crony being rightfully put in his place by the virtuous rebellious crew. The truth of course lies somewhere in between. My take on the bounty disaster? Bligh was the world’s greatest second officer and a truly great seaman and a damn good navigator, but he was also someone who should never have been given his own command because he suffered from what can only be called a serious personality disorder. It’s the “peter principle” in action; he simply rose to his own level of in competency.

But the question remains, "what could motivate a man to want to mutiny, knowing full well that the odds of success are next to zero and the cost of trying is quite likely to be, shall we say – terminal?"

The Last Sentry is a textbook study of a mutiny, not in a western country, but a mutiny within the Soviet Union. While the book does a good job of explaining the conditions of conscription within the Soviet military, it does a better job of showing the world from the perspective of the sailors and their families. What is most interesting in this particular story is that the mutineer is not a rough and tumble rebel straight out of Hollywood trying to make his form of justice out of the oppression of the people in power but rather, this story is that of a “true believer” who believes that those in power haven’t gone far enough!

There’s a great deal to take in with this book and a good deal to learn from it as well. There are those in the west who still believe that the harshness of the non-democratic states will produce a stronger military that those produced in democracies, but this book shows that its possible even in the harshest governments that things like a major mutiny is not only possible, but very probable. If your governments “true believers” start to turn against you…

Posted @ October 30, 2005 06:04 PM | Book Reviews