Honoring 250+ Years of Valor: Navy Birthday

October 7, 2026

Every year on October 13, we celebrate the establishment of the Continental Navy in 1775. For nearly two and a half centuries, the United States Navy has protected freedom of the seas, projected American power across the globe, and produced some of the most compelling stories of courage, innovation, and sacrifice in American history.

Whether you are an active-duty Sailor, a proud veteran, a military history buff, or someone looking to honor the brave men and women serving at sea, dive into official history through the U.S. Government Bookstore’s United States Navy History Collection.

Highlights from the Collection

Published directly by the Naval History and Heritage Command and the Naval War College Press, these primary-source volumes include:

  • Revolutionary Era to Modern Fleet: The evolution from wooden schooners to nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
  • Pacific Campaigns & Submarine Warfare: Detailed operational studies of major World War II and Cold War engagements.
  • Leadership & Doctrine: Biographies of iconic Admirals and strategic analyses of modern maritime power.

Celebrate this Navy Birthday by diving into the authentic, primary-source stories that built our nation’s maritime legacy.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From the US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger Trudy Hawkins is the Senior Marketing & Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication & Information Sales Office, supporting the U.S. Government Online Bookstore (https://bookstore.gpo.gov).

Leave a Comment » | Department of Defense, Military History, Naval War College, U.S. Marines, U.S. Navy | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Naval History & Heritage Command Publications

May 29, 2024

The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command of the United States Navy responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage. The NHHC publishes various materials related to U.S. naval history and is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about U.S. naval history.

Here are a few popular NHHC publications available from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore:

War in the Shallows: U.S. Navy and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam, 1965-1968 explores the operations of the Navy’s three inshore task forces from 1965 to 1968. America’s naval forces developed the most extensive maritime blockade in modern naval history and fought pitched battles against Viet Cong units in the Mekong Delta and elsewhere.

Battle Behind Bars: Navy and Marine POWs in the Vietnam War (PDF ePub). War in the jungles and an insufferable prisoner-of-war situation inflicted special hardships on the Vietnam-era POWs. This (ePub) describes their experiences—the similarities and the differences—and how the POWs coped with untreated wounds and other malaises, systematic torture, and boredom. The creative strategies they devised to stay fit, track time, resist the enemy, and communicate with one another.

End of the Saga: The Maritime Evacuation of South Vietnam and Cambodia (ePub) explores in detail and with photographs and illustrations the April 1975 withdrawal of the American Navy and Marine Corps from Cambodia and South Vietnam (with refugees) and the aftermath in Southeast Asia.  This withdrawal showed the courage and skill of the American forces, who had to carry out large-scale and complicated evacuations despite criticism of the military by many Americans back home who had lost confidence in the military and government during the protracted conflict.

Whether you are a student, a scholar, or simply a history buff, the NHHC has something to offer you.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.  Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publications and Information Sales Office.

Images and additional content provided by Government Book Talk Editor Trudy Hawkins. Trudy is the Senior Marketing & Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication & Information Sales Office supporting the U.S. Government Online Bookstore (https://bookstore.gpo.gov).

Leave a Comment » | Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, Vietnam | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins