Good account of JFK's war experience. ( )

Interesting book that I first read as a kid, though given its focus a more accurate title would have been "PT boats and Kennedy's service on them." ( )

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Open Road Integrated Media in return for a fair and honest review.

This is an account of 25-year-old John F. Kennedy during his military service from 1942 to 1943. It takes place in the South Pacific, near Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, when J.F.K. skippered the Patrol Torpedo boat, PT-109.

Richard Tregaskis’ account, is very methodical, to say the least. He skillfully details young Lt. Kennedy’s military career up to that decisive day in 1943, but also details how J.F.K. came to find himself in the Pacific Theater and on a PT boat in particular. We are guided step by step through the young J.F.K.'s entry to naval service but delightfully at the same time learning about the development and implementation of the PT boats which served with distinction during the Pacific conflicts of WW II. Tregaskis has embellished, very sparingly, the facts surrounding events and this makes John F. Kennedy and PT-109 a good piece of source material for research on this subject. (And of J.F.K.'s command of PT-59.)

My research on Richard Tregaskis (1916-1973) revealed he was a war correspondent stationed in the South Pacific at the time of the events. He used American and Japanese records to write this detailed and comprehensive account of the PT boat maneuvers and engagements in the South Pacific, while at the same time focusing on John F. Kennedy’s navy career, his relationship with his crew, his determination, his self-sacrificing for his crew and his decision making. It makes me wonder how much more J.F.K. could have achieved as President of the United States if circumstances had been different.

A small problem I have with the text is first with the methodical nature of the prose. I feel the story held less, humanity and read more like a textbook. I also think the lack of maps, diagrams, and pictures of Lt. Kennedy and his PT boat and crew makes it a little harder to identify with the men who experienced the events of this particular theater of war, maybe this was just my copy. These little criticisms are not enough to prevent me from promoting John F. Kennedy and PT-109 to those interested in the subject matter.

Well worth a read. ( )

From history classes and documentaries I was definitely familiar with John F. Kennedy and in a cursory way familiar with his naval career, especially as it related to action with PT-109. Until reading this book, however, I was unaware of the full story of not only Kennedy’s service, but of the PT boat program as a whole.

Richard Tregaskis is perhaps best known for his gripping account Guadalcanal Diary, but I had been unaware that he also wrote several more WWII histories, this one in particular. First published in 1962 during the Kennedy administration, John F. Kennedy and PT-109 serves to highlight the military career and heroism of who was then the sitting President of the United States. Tregaskis seems to have written it through that lens, as there is very little that does not paint JFK in the most glowing light, and honestly, I can see why. The calm and poise he seemed to show throughout the harrowing days after the sinking of PT-109 and his efforts to save himself and his crew are second to none.

As for Tregaskis’ account, it is very methodical to say the least. He does an excellent job painting the scene, not only of a young Lt. Kennedy’s military career up to that fateful day in 1943, but how he came to be in the Pacific Theater and on a PT boat specifically. We are walked through step by step the young officer’s entry to naval service while at the same time learning about the development and implementation of the little PT boats that served so heroically in the war. Tregaskis had taken very little liberty with the facts surrounding events and this makes John F. Kennedy and PT-109 a good piece of source material for research on this subject.

My only real knocks on this text is that first, because of the methodical nature of the prose I was not as gripped in the story or held in suspense as much as I would have liked to be. I had trouble imagining myself serving there alongside Kennedy and really experiencing the danger and horror and fear that must have swept over each crew member (whether they would have admitted it or not) after their boat was lost. This could also be in part because I knew how it would all turn out in the end! My second fault was the lack of maps, diagrams, and pictures about Kennedy and his PT boat and crew. I am not sure if this is a feature of just my copy, or is the final publication will have these items. As a visual learner, I would have enjoyed reading much more if I was able to see and experience these within the text or as an insert, rather than looking elsewhere. Overall these are not enough to dissuade me from recommending John F. Kennedy and PT-109 to anyone interested in the subject matter and I would consider this as a possible addition to my high school library collection. ( )

The story of JFK, the 35th American President, during World War II.