World War II ignited American patriotism and filled the nation's military academies with thousands of young men eager to serve their country. No military class, however, turned out to be more accomplished or better prepared to change the world than the U.S. Naval Academy class of 1947.

In The Class of '47: Annapolis -- America's Best, author Jack Sheehan gives us a fascinating personal look at some of the notable Annapolis graduates from this one amazing year. There's the class "golden boy," future CIA Director Stans- field Turner . . . Admiral William Crowe, whose career path to Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was filled with unusual detours . . . Medal of Honor winner Jim Stockdale, the Vietnam POW forced into the political spotlight by Ross Perot . . . wildly successful Arkansas businessman Jack Stephens.

The Class of '47 centers above all on the pivotal figure of future U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter, whose time at Annapolis helped to shape his profound sense of personal honor.