Rank & File

July 17, 2017
Witt’s fourth Anchor Point contemporary (after Chief’s Mess) is, like its predecessors, a solid, thought-provoking work. Senior Chief Will Curtis, a military policeman at Naval Air Station Anchor Point in Oregon, just wants to make his 30 years in the Navy and retire; he’s sworn off love since his ex-boyfriend cheated on him and left. But when responding to a domestic call on base, he meets Lt. Brent Jameson, a bisexual commissioned officer and Annapolis grad, and he falls hard. It’s strictly against the Uniform Code of Military Justice for an enlisted man and a commissioned officer to fraternize, but the explosive chemistry Brent and Will share makes it worth sneaking around and keeping their love under wraps. When their secret comes out, both are faced with a difficult decision: give up their careers in the Navy, or give up each other? Even in the post–“don’t ask, don’t tell” era, not everyone in the military is accepting of same-sex relationships—particularly Brent’s old-school Navy father. Witt’s skillful characterization, gift for plotting, and sensitive treatment of same-sex relationships in the military context make this novel a pleasure to read.