A Swimmer’s Odyssey: From the Plains to the Pacific

A memoir of a boy’s love of swimming and his quest to become an Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogman. Black describes the mentors of his youth who became his models for swimming. He provides a history of the UDT and SEALs. He tells of an injury while in UDT training that denied him his life-long dream, but led to a life-long profession.The story also tells of how high achievers---such as Andre Agassi, Tiger Woods, and Julia Child---dedicated themselves to a work ethic which led to the fulfillment of their dreams and goals. The book recounts the author’s experience in the Vietnam War, including the Tonkin Gulf incident, Marine raids, and the historic Danang beach landings. Black describes how and why we must ＂put in the time＂ if we are going to have any chance of success. With himself as the model, he explains how average people can be successful if they are dedicated to their efforts. He analyzes Malcolm Gladwell’s outlier concept and David Brooks’ comments on Gladwell’s views on social determinism.

Uyless Black spent his childhood and teenage years on the great plains of America’s southwest. During his adult years, he was an officer in the U.S. Navy, where he won the Navy Commendation Medal for his actions in Vietnam. After leaving the Navy, he was a software programmer, the Ombudsman for the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C, and a business owner. He was the founder of three data communications network consulting firms, became an international lecturer, and wrote thirty-five books on the emerging Internet technology; some published in several languages. For this past decade, he has also devoted himself to investigating and reporting on the social, political, and financial climate of America.