School of Hard Knots: A Citizen Sailor Goes to Sea

Placeholder author icon
By Henry Abernathy *73

Published Jan. 21, 2016

(CreateSpace) Abernathy reflects on his three years in the Navy during the Vietnam era, which he calls “the most intense and formative of [his] adult life.” This book combines Abernathy’s almost daily letters home with declassified logs from the Navy destroyer he served on. The narrative also highlights the difficulties afterwards, namely reentry into civilian life. Abernathy is an architect. He served on the USS Furse from 1966 to 1969.

Paw in print

Image
PAW's October 2026 cover, featuring a photo of a loaf of challah bread and the headline "The Braids That Bind."
The Latest Issue

October 2026

Holding on to Jewish life; Katy Anderson Keating ’08’s career in wine; Hollywood loves Princeton.