The Bluejacket's Manual, 26th Edition (Blue & Gold Professional Library)

Thomas J. Cutler is a retired lieutenant commander and former gunner’s mate second class who served in patrol craft, cruisers, destroyers, and aircraft carriers. His varied assignments included an in-country Vietnam tour, small-craft command, and nine years at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he served as Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Seamanship & Navigation Department and Associate Chairman of the History Department. Winner of the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Naval Literature, the U.S. Naval Institute Press Author of the Year, and the Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award, his published works include The Battle of Leyte Gulf and Brown Water, Black Berets: Coastal & Riverine Warfare in Vietnam. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland.

Mark T. Hacala served 30 years in uniform, retiring as a Master Chief Hospital Corpsman, and has continued with 12 years of civilian Navy service. He served in combat with the Marines in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983 and continued with Marine infantry units for 13 years. Since 2000, he has spoken to over 10,000 Sailors on naval history subjects, including guest lectures at the Naval Academy, Georgetown University, Vanderbilt University, and the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in history, he is a prolific writer with dozens of articles in various military publications to his credit. For ten years, he served as Director of History and Education for the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, where he designed historical exhibits of graphics and artifacts, as well as educational programs. Since 2009, he has served as ceremonies specialist and drillmaster for the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard in Washington, DC. 
 

Paul A. Kingsbury, FLTCM, USN (Ret.), served thirty-one years in the Navy, culminating with his final assignment as the Fleet Master Chief for U.S. Fleet Forces Command. He has published several articles in military journals and received awards in both the U.S. Naval Institute’s General Essay and Enlisted Essay contests. He is the author of Petty Officer’s Guide and a coauthor of the 26th edition of the Bluejacket’s Manual. He is the host and producer of the Cutlass Podcast. He serves as Director of Federal Employee Program Community Relations for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.