A 1928 graduate of the Naval Academy, Admiral Keith spent much of his active career in battleships and destroyers such as the USS Utah (BB-31), Arizona (BB-39), Overton (DD-239), and Aylwin (DD-355). He was the commanding officer of the destroyer USS Nicholas (DD-449) during combat in the Pacific in World War II. A substantial part of the memoir recounts his command of the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) in 1954. He spent three tours on the staff of the Naval Academy, including duty as Commandant of Midshipmen in the mid-1950s. As a flag officer, he commanded the naval base at Subic Bay, the Pacific Fleet Cruiser-Destroyer Force, and the First Fleet.