John J  Gobbell - email  

These books are available from major stores nation-wide, or, you can order signed copies on-line from the author.

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A CALL TO COLORS


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From USC to YANKEE STATION to the Congressional Cup. Here are some great photos from John J Gobbell. Also in the news at Military.com and a new article published in Tin Can Sailor See below.

 

Upon graduating from the University of Southern California, John was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy. He served as a deck officer aboard the USS Tingey (DD 539), a revered Fletcher-class destroyer and battle of Leyte Gulf veteran. With John as anti-submarine warfare officer, the San Diego based "Tin Can" joined the Seventh Fleet in the South China Sea. There, the Tingey steamed with other destroyers to form a protective screen for aircraft carriers around the famous YANKEE STATION.

In civilian life, John crewed and skippered in many yacht racing regattas. In 1983, 1984, and 1985, he won the Long Beach Yacht Club's Ficker Cup, a match-race regatta among ten local and nationally ranked yachtsmen. This gave him a berth in the Long Beach Yacht Club's Congressional Cup for 1984, 1985, 1986, one of the most prestigious match-racing regattas featuring skippers from around the world, including America's cup stand-outs.

Professional Career

John has been an executive recruiter for over thirty years. He was with a major CPA firm for three years. And then for ten years, he was a Vice President with a large New York City based international executive recruiting firm. In 1983, he founded THE GOBBELL COMPANY in Newport Beach, California. His firm works on a retained basis with corporate clients to find senior executives. His assignments span most industries in California. THE GOBBELL COMPANY serves some of California's most prestigious organizations.

Writing

During a concentrated time of developing and presenting candidates to corporate clients in military aerospace (he has worked with rocket scientists), John became fascinated with advanced technology, weapon systems, and the executives who build them.

THE BRUTUS LIE

This gave rise to his first novel, THE BRUTUS LIE, a techno-thriller published by Charles Scribner's Sons in hardback in 1991. John likes to feature technical-centerpieces in his works and BRUTUS, a long-legged mini-submarine powered by fuel cells, was the first. Asian rights to the work were acquired in 1992 by Bungeishunju, one of Japan's largest publishers. In 1995, THE BRUTUS LIE was released again in paperback by St. Martin's Press.

Todd Ingram Series

John's destroyer tour through the Philippines and the South China Sea, combined with a deep interest in events of World War II, lead to the development of the Todd Ingram series. Historically accurate, the series portrays Navy officer Todd Ingram in some of the critical battles in World War II's Pacific Theater.

THE LAST LIEUTENANT

The first book in the Todd Ingram series, THE LAST LIEUTENANT, is about the 1942 Japanese siege of Corregidor in the Philippines. It was published in hardback in 1995 by St. Martin's Press. The soft-cover version was released in 1997 and is still in print.

A CODE FOR TOMORROW

The second Todd Ingram book, A CODE FOR TOMORROW, is about the 1942-1943 naval battles for Guadalcanal with Ingram as the executive officer of the destroyer USS Howell (DD 482). It was released by St. Martin's in hardback in 1999; the soft cover, in 2002.

WHEN DUTY WHISPERS LOW

The third book in the Todd Ingram series, WHEN DUTY WHISPERS LOW, is about the shoot-down of Japanese CinC, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in 1943. It debuted in 2002; the soft cover came out in 2004.

THE NEPTUNE STRATEGY

The most recent novel in the Todd Ingram Series is THE NEPTUNE STRATEGY, a 2004 hardcover release by St. Martin's Press. It takes place in 1944 with Ingram, now a destroyer captain, captured by a Japanese submarine. The soft cover was released in late 2005.

A CALL TO COLORS

Published by Random House-Presidio Press, this work features Commander Mike Donovan, skipper of the destroyer USS Matthew. With General MacArthur's 165,000 troops just ashore to begin the Philippine liberation, Donovan finds himself embroiled in what becomes the Battle of Leyte Gulf - the largest naval engagement in the history of mankind. It is scheduled for a September 2006 release.

* * * * *

John and his wife, Janine, are graduates of the University of Southern California and live in Orange County, California.

Special Notes

All photos are U.S. Government photos unless noted otherwise.

In the News - Special Items

Surrender at Tokyo Bay
Article by John Gobbell published on the Military.com website.

This Labor Day Weekend marks the sixty-first anniversary of the Tokyo Bay surrender, officially ending World War II. Military.com, one of the nation's largest on-line magazines (circulation 8 million) asked me to do an op-ed on the subject. Some compelling stories surfaced with the research that show our leaders of the time looked far into the future. The way they structured the ceremony and the instrument of urrender were unprecedented; their marvelous legacy remains with us today.    

You can find the story at this link.

Mix and Match
How a Fletcher Class Destroyer Became a DDG Overnight
By John J. Gobbell

You can find the story at this Link.

Now available in bookstores nationwide
Purchase Online Now


Now available in bookstores nationwide




Now available in bookstores nationwide
Purchase Online Now


 

Now available in bookstores nationwide
Purchase Online Now



Now available in bookstores nationwide

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