Captain Neal
Kusumoto, United States Navy (retired)
“commanded three ships before retiring
as a captain. After his rousing tour
on USS
Vandegrift,
he was put in charge of training all
officers selected to command ships. He
was in the Pentagon as the Deputy Executive Assistant for the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
during
9/11 and the start of the War on
Terrorism.
Raised in Hawaii, he attended
Lolani School and was named Hawaii
Junior Citizen of the Year in
1974.
Further education includes United
States Naval Academy (BS), Naval
Postgraduate School (MS), U.S.
Naval
War College (MA), and NATO Defense
College. He is the President of the
U.S. Alumni
delegation. He recently retired
as the Executive Director for Mine
Warfare after forty-four years
working
for the Navy. Neal lives with his wife
Linda in San Diego, CA. They adopted
Bella-moto
from a shelter, but don’t
expect her to live a rollicking,
sea-tossed life like Jenna did.?"
Captain Neal Kusumoto, United States
Navy (retired) is the author of
Navy Dog: A Dog's Days in the US Navy.
|
|
|
According to the book description of
Navy Dog: A Dog's Days in the US
Navy, Having Seaman Jenna as
the mascot on the USS Vandegrift was
never meant to be a statement or
symbolic act, or to put the crew on
the radars of four-star admirals.
Jenna came aboard unannounced, a
Christmas gift that brought instant
joy to the crew and transformed a gray
ship into a home for 225 sailors. Her
addition was not pre-approved by the
chain of command—contrary to military
protocol. Before long, Jenna became a
phenomenon—the only dog on a Navy ship
since World War II—despite the best
efforts to keep her from the public
eye. This orphaned Shiba Inu and the
displaced crew shared countless
adventures and trials during her five
years on board. Jenna dodged being
eaten in Korea (a country that still
views dogs as edible fare),
sidestepped Hawaii’s strict quarantine
law, avoided threats of being shot in
Australia, charmed a Chinese admiral,
and nearly initiated an international
incident in Pakistan. Jenna became a
symbol of the ship and of free will,
and created a bond amongst the crew
that remains strong decades later…long
after her death. Neal Kusumoto is
proud to say that he was the captain
of that fine ship, blessed with a
magnificent crew that included one
special sea dog. Join Seaman Jenna as
a part of the crew on her five-year
adventure on the high seas. |
|
|
|