He wrote in very small print and when his wife Shirley decided to transcribe his diary into a computer word processing program, she had to use a magnifying glass to read portions of it. Mick Wilson formatted that document into book form and provided photographs that he had obtained while stationed on the U. S. S. Brown during the Korean Conflict.  Dean was on the Brown during WWII.

Both Dean and Mick lived in Loveland, Colorado, but never had the opportunity to meet each other, because Dean had passed away a few years earlier for which Mick is truly sorry. 

The book contains a wealth of insight into:

• 1943 - Boot Camp to Battle starting with the day he enlisted.
• 1944 - Battle to Battle this year begins with the Brown sighting its first enemy aircraft, and finishes fighting a killer typhoon.
• 1945 - The Finale! the fighting increases to Kamikaze pitch as the island of Okinawa finally falls.
• 1945 - Okinawa Picket Duty the Kamikaze attacks continue until Japan is dealt two atomic blasts.
• 1945 - Japanese Surrender! the war draws to its final closure, and Dean receives his discharge from the U.S. Navy.
• Story of a Vet of the Blue Team this reprinted article gives further insight into the Brown's operations within Halsey's Task Force 58-38 and the final tally of enemy ships and aircraft destroyed.
• U. S. Navy Press Release (The Tanega Shima Incident) where the Brown rescued a downed U.S. transport aircraft on a Japanese held island immediately after the war.
• WW II History of the Brown another reprinted article detailing the ship's exploits.
• Map of the South Pacific useful in following the story.
• The Story of the Raspberry Bloomer a Gunner's Mate uses available resources to replace the canvas cover that goes around one of the 5 inch guns, but the proper color paint was not available until a later date.
• Nice to Know Stuff! Statistics on the ship itself.
• United States Navy Ship Designations

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