J.H. Minnis just missed out on the action of the First World War. But when you join the U.S. Navy, you get to “see the world.” And for his part, Minnis got to see more of it than he would ever have seen otherwise. He left behind a memoir of his adventures. And to his granddaughter, a history professor, that account is the gateway not only to some exciting places, but to centuries of exciting times and events.