The sub-title says it all---"My Life - My Words." This is a classic memoir, literally, from birth (as the premature author writes, "I was very young when I was born"), through a dual-career as a naval officer and monument-developer, and 66 (and counting) years of marriage to his personal "Sweetheart of Sigma Chi." Rear Admiral Thompson has stories to tell, of interest to all readers interested in the profession of public affairs (military and civilian) and in a behind-the-scenes look at the U. S. Navy from the middle to the end of the 20th century.