Admiral James L. Holloway III served in combat under direct enemy fire in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Commander of the first nuclear warship to engage in combat- the USS Enterprise - he became the first nuclear-trained officer to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. Holloway's remarkable career spanned the Cold War, rising through the ranks to four-star admiral - from carrier pilot to one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - and finally serving in positions of unique responsibility as a civilian Presidential appointee: Holloway served as investigator of the failed Iranian hostage rescue operation, executive director of the President's task force on combating terrorism, and as Vice Presidential special negotiating envoy to the Middle East. Aircraft Carriers at War is Holloway's personal account of the events of the Cold War that shaped the evolution of the modern aircraft carrier and the character of today's US Navy. Both a strategic study and a powerful memoir, it is an eminently readable account, packed with humor and inspiration that leaves the reader in awe of the man and the Navy he served. Holloway's recollections - from the cockpit and from the table of the National Security Council - are a testament to the heroic service of those who fought in the long war, and the national leadership that took us through this perilous period of America's history to defeat the Soviet Union while avoiding the Armageddon of a nuclear war.