Author G.M. Matheny shares his new book GOD & SPIES, based on a true story, on Amazon.com. He served in the US Navy as an elite saturation diver on the nuclear submarine USS Halibut. He was involved in one of America's most important (and dangerous) clandestine operations. If you like espionage and American history, you will enjoy this interview.
Excerpt. This was the second wreck I had been in, in just two months. Both wrecks were my fault, my new car was totaled, and now I had hurt my dad. I had been going around doing my own thing, not concerned with, or even considering, others' feelings. My only concern was making myself happy. But in that hospital room, my dad was looking at me and wondering if raising me had been worth it. I didn't like seeing my dad look like that. I decided then to do something that would please him and not me. Without realizing it, I began to obey the Bible-"Honour thy father." So I signed up for the navy, not because I wanted to but to make my dad happy. I became a navy diver for my dad. He used to like watching the TV program Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges. He even said one time, "Garry, we ought to take up diving." Well, he never did, but I did for him, thinking this would make him proud of me and put a smile on his face.
Though at first, I was not interested in diving, five years later I was Russian Territorial waters and begging God to let me make a top-secret dive in Siberia. We were 21 saturation divers and had practiced for more than a year for this one special operation, but only eight of us would be chosen to make the dives. I prayed to God to let me be one of the eight daredevil divers, jockeying to make this dive. But when I prayed about it, I had the impression the Lord only wanted to know one thing, "What if I don't let you make the dive? Will you serve me anyway?"
