"The book takes an innovative approach, moving beyond the standard empirical narrative. With a background in the U.S. submarine force and academic history, Walker is well qualified for the task. From the striking cover art to the extensive bibliography, this is a handsomely produced volume."

Michael Sturma - History, College of Arts, Murdoch University

When I cracked open this book, I expected a tale of a submariner (‘sub-mareener’, as pronounced in America) and his heroic acts of bravery. Well, there is some of that - largely about a very ordinary sailor (Henry Breault) who performed one arguably very extraordinary act for which he was highly decorated by the US government. In fact, the book offers much more than just the biography of a hero but includes an overview of the life and times of the US Submarine Force in the 1920s and 30s, an overview of masculinity and sexuality in America and a number of other instances of how service life might affect the personal and professional lives of submariners.

Read the full review here.

The Naval Review

"There are aspects of this book that are fascinating from a Canadian naval history perspective."

Maritime Engineering Journal - Fall 2024

"Today, in the social media age, the thought that some years in the future after one’s death, the only traces that would remain of their life would be through professional or governmental records is almost unthinkable. But that is what Ryan C. Walker, author of The Silent Service’s First Hero: The First Submariner to Receive the Medal of Honor, had to contend with when compiling his very readable and compelling account of Henry Breault, the first submariner-and the community’s only enlisted member-to receive the Medal of Honor. Writing about a community that values its reputation as The Silent Service, and in which the CO is often the only recognizable face of the ship, it is often the enlisted sailor who stands at the point of friction and –orders or not—does the deeds for which the ship and service become lauded. Ryan uses the few extant records and a vast array of contemporary cultural touchpoints to write not only a microhistory of Breault that stands on its own right, describing his heroic actions and the life of sailors from the 1920s until his death in 1941, but also a call to arms to mobilize further research into the lives of men like Breault."

Dr. Scott D. Hamm, author of Taming America’s Warriors: Assessing US Military Discipline and Responses to Law off War Violations, 1943-2006, Professor of Modern Naval History at the US Naval Community College, retired Marine Corps Sergeant Major

“The Silent Service’s First Hero is truly a revelation. Ryan Walker’s book is one of the few histories to examine the pre-Second World War U.S. Navy submarine force, setting it apart from most submarine histories. More than that, however, he explores the experience of the U.S. Navy enlisted submarine Sailor, which is even more rarely chronicled. Readers will benefit from Walker’s thorough research, placing Henry Breault in the context of a very different time. Thanks to Walker’s exhaustive study, we now know far more about Henry Breault than simply the bare bones of his Medal of Honor citation – we know about his service in the Canadian navy and numerous other U.S. submarines, his complicated marriage, his evident leadership ability as a chief of the boat (without wearing chief’s anchors!), and even how to properly pronounce his name! Relying on sparse and often-vague documentation from over a century ago, Ryan Walker has crafted as full a portrait as we are likely to have of a submarine Sailor in the early 20th century U.S. Navy.”

Dr. Joel Holwitt, author of “Execute Against Japan”: The U.S. Decision to Conduct Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (Texas A&M University Press, 2009) and former U.S. Navy submarine captain.