Series in Army
Books in Army
A Badger Boy in Blue: The Letters of Chauncey H. Cooke
Chauncey H. Cooke enlisted in the Union army in 1862 at only sixteen, after lying about his age. Like many soldiers, Cooke saw only limited action in battle, but his letters to family members paint a realistic and compelling picture of daily life in the Civil War. Alongside dramatic descriptions of encounters with Indians, comrades, rebel prisoners, slaves, and Southern whites, Cooke also describes the boredom of camp, the chaos of battle, and the suffering caused by illness. Cooke’s emotional closeness to his family, especially his mother, also comes across strongly in his letters, and readers will feel an instant connection to the young soldier through his words. Among other collections of Civil War writings, A Badger Boy in Blue stands out because of the wealth of rich detail included in Cooke’s letters. Readers are presented with an accurate picture of a soldier’s daily life through Cooke’s commentary on everything from the food he ate, to the weather, to the kind of paper that he used for writing. In addition, Cooke’s descriptions of battle are valuable in offering fresh insight into the often-overlooked midwestern armies and campaigns. His descriptions of the siege of Vicksburg and the Atlanta Campaign are especially thoughtful and unique. The letters also present empathetic and colorful portraits of the frightened, defiant, and curious civilians that the army encountered along the way. William Mulligan, Jr., provides an introduction and annotations in A Badger Boy in Blue to add expert commentary and context for Cooke’s letters. Four maps are also included to clarify locations mentioned in the text. History buffs, scholars, and general readers interested in the Civil War will appreciate this thorough volume.
American Spirit(With: Taya Kyle)
The New York Times –bestselling author shares “moving and passionate” true stories of people who found their purpose through perseverance and service ( Publishers Weekly , starred review). Taya Kyle entered a period of deep grief when she lost her husband, “American Sniper” Chris Kyle. Yet the experience served as a catalyst for profound growth. Taya found her own reserve of strength with the help of family and friends—and also many strangers across America, who shared their own stories of suffering and survival. Inspired by their courage, Taya discovered her calling: spreading a message of how we can triumph over personal pain and heal our communities. Working with trusted collaborator Jim DeFelice (coauthor of American Sniper and American Wife ), Taya tells her own story, as well as those of other Americans who have built extraordinary lives after grappling with loss, illness, all manner of setback: a 9/11 survivor, badly burned over 60% of his body, who asked himself What debt to do I owe to God? ; a man with the hole in his heart who runs ultramarathons; a young cancer victim whose lemonade stand inspired a revolutionary new model for fighting cancer; a pastor who became an undercover investigator, and more. The more than thirty individual profiled here embody the “American spirit” of resilience, faith, and togetherness that has built the nation. In the end, their stories teach us that “every action, big or small, has the potential to spark someone else’s movement.”
As Good As Dead : The True WWII Story of Eleven American POWs Who Escaped from Palawan Island
“[A] truly uplifting tale of deliverance from certain death . . . A deeply personal read, in which the reader is drawn into the highs and lows of the action, the tragedy, and the salvation, because Moore has so successfully drawn out the characters. . . . Compelling reading and hard to put down.”— Naval History The heroic story of eleven American POWs who defied certain death in World War II, As Good as Dead is an unforgettable account of the Palawan Massacre survivors and their daring escape. In late 1944, the Allies invaded the Japanese-held Philippines, and soon the end of the Pacific War was within reach. But for the last 150 American prisoners of war still held on the island of Palawan, there would be no salvation. After years of slave labor, starvation, disease, and torture, their worst fears were about to be realized. On December 14, with machine guns trained on them, they were herded underground into shallow air raid shelters—death pits dug with their own hands. Japanese soldiers doused the shelters with gasoline and set them on fire. Some thirty prisoners managed to bolt from the fiery carnage, running a lethal gauntlet of machine gun fire and bayonets to jump from the cliffs to the rocky Palawan coast. By the next morning, only eleven men were left alive—but their desperate journey to freedom had just begun. As Good as Dead is one of the greatest escape stories of World War II, and one that few Americans know. The eleven survivors of the Palawan Massacre—some badly wounded and burned—spent weeks evading Japanese patrols. They scrounged for food and water, swam shark-infested bays, and wandered through treacherous jungle terrain, hoping to find friendly Filipino guerrillas. Their endurance, determination, and courage in the face of death make this a gripping and inspiring saga of survival.
As Good As Dead : The True WWII Story of Eleven American POWs Who Escaped from Palawan Island
“[A] truly uplifting tale of deliverance from certain death . . . A deeply personal read, in which the reader is drawn into the highs and lows of the action, the tragedy, and the salvation, because Moore has so successfully drawn out the characters. . . . Compelling reading and hard to put down.”— Naval History The heroic story of eleven American POWs who defied certain death in World War II, As Good as Dead is an unforgettable account of the Palawan Massacre survivors and their daring escape. In late 1944, the Allies invaded the Japanese-held Philippines, and soon the end of the Pacific War was within reach. But for the last 150 American prisoners of war still held on the island of Palawan, there would be no salvation. After years of slave labor, starvation, disease, and torture, their worst fears were about to be realized. On December 14, with machine guns trained on them, they were herded underground into shallow air raid shelters—death pits dug with their own hands. Japanese soldiers doused the shelters with gasoline and set them on fire. Some thirty prisoners managed to bolt from the fiery carnage, running a lethal gauntlet of machine gun fire and bayonets to jump from the cliffs to the rocky Palawan coast. By the next morning, only eleven men were left alive—but their desperate journey to freedom had just begun. As Good as Dead is one of the greatest escape stories of World War II, and one that few Americans know. The eleven survivors of the Palawan Massacre—some badly wounded and burned—spent weeks evading Japanese patrols. They scrounged for food and water, swam shark-infested bays, and wandered through treacherous jungle terrain, hoping to find friendly Filipino guerrillas. Their endurance, determination, and courage in the face of death make this a gripping and inspiring saga of survival.
David Stirling
David Stirling was the founder of the Special Air Service. And he was the man who created a new type of warfare - special forces operations. When the Second World War broke out he abandoned his plans to climb Mount Everest to enlist with the Scots Guards Supplementary Reserve of Officers. One year later he joined ‘Layforce’, the nickname for 8 Commando. Stirling became convinced that a highly trained unit could operate behind enemy lines with a devastating impact. And after a severe injury obtained from a parachuting accident, he had plenty of rest time to plan exactly what this unit could do. Desperate to get his voice heard, Stirling abandoned his crutches and broke into the headquarters to confront the men in charge. Incredibly, Stirling got away with it, and managed to get both General Ritchie and General Auchinlek on side. He gathered around him 66 men from ‘Layforce’ and they become the first members of the new Special Air Service. But the first mission of the new unit was a disaster… So how did Stirling manage to pull things back, and convince those in charge not to abandon his plan? And what daring exploits shaped the man who dared to change the way the British Army worked? Anton Gill’s short biography examines Stirling’s before, during and after the war, creating a compelling portrait of the man who founded the SAS. Anton Gill has been a freelance writer since 1984, specialising in European contemporary history but latterly branching out into historical fiction. He is the winner of the H H Wingate Award for non-fiction for his study of survivors of the Nazi concentration camps, The Journey Back From Hell .
Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands
A unique first-hand narrative of the Falklands war. Rick Jolly was the Senior Medical Officer in the Falklands, setting up and running the field hospital at Ajax Bay, where he and his Royal Marine and Parachute Regiment medical teams treated a total of 580 casualties, of which only 3 died of wounds. The building itself was a derelict meat-packing factory, hastily converted to treat incoming wounded – both British and Argentine – even though two unexploded bombs lay at the back of the building. Rick's diary of the campaign and its aftermath is a fast-paced and gripping account of war experience that covers the entire conflict from initial preparations and passage to the South Atlantic on the requisitioned liner Canberra to daily action reports, and observations and interaction with the key players of the conflict – Col. H. Jones, Brian Hanrahan, Julian Thompson and Max Hastings. Incredible human stories abound, as Rick, a trained commando, dangles from the rescue winch of a Sea King helicopter, saving lives on a daily basis. Yet he also confronts death in a thoughtful, reflective and considered way, helping others to deal with the trauma of war. Now revised and brought fully up to date, this book is a unique first-hand narrative of a conflict that inspired individual and collective heroism among British armed forces, inspiring great pride in 'our boys' by the public back at home, but which also provoked – and continues to provoke – fierce debate.
Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands
A unique first-hand narrative of the Falklands war. Rick Jolly was the Senior Medical Officer in the Falklands, setting up and running the field hospital at Ajax Bay, where he and his Royal Marine and Parachute Regiment medical teams treated a total of 580 casualties, of which only 3 died of wounds. The building itself was a derelict meat-packing factory, hastily converted to treat incoming wounded – both British and Argentine – even though two unexploded bombs lay at the back of the building. Rick's diary of the campaign and its aftermath is a fast-paced and gripping account of war experience that covers the entire conflict from initial preparations and passage to the South Atlantic on the requisitioned liner Canberra to daily action reports, and observations and interaction with the key players of the conflict – Col. H. Jones, Brian Hanrahan, Julian Thompson and Max Hastings. Incredible human stories abound, as Rick, a trained commando, dangles from the rescue winch of a Sea King helicopter, saving lives on a daily basis. Yet he also confronts death in a thoughtful, reflective and considered way, helping others to deal with the trauma of war. Now revised and brought fully up to date, this book is a unique first-hand narrative of a conflict that inspired individual and collective heroism among British armed forces, inspiring great pride in 'our boys' by the public back at home, but which also provoked – and continues to provoke – fierce debate.
Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands
A unique first-hand narrative of the Falklands war. Rick Jolly was the Senior Medical Officer in the Falklands, setting up and running the field hospital at Ajax Bay, where he and his Royal Marine and Parachute Regiment medical teams treated a total of 580 casualties, of which only 3 died of wounds. The building itself was a derelict meat-packing factory, hastily converted to treat incoming wounded – both British and Argentine – even though two unexploded bombs lay at the back of the building. Rick's diary of the campaign and its aftermath is a fast-paced and gripping account of war experience that covers the entire conflict from initial preparations and passage to the South Atlantic on the requisitioned liner Canberra to daily action reports, and observations and interaction with the key players of the conflict – Col. H. Jones, Brian Hanrahan, Julian Thompson and Max Hastings. Incredible human stories abound, as Rick, a trained commando, dangles from the rescue winch of a Sea King helicopter, saving lives on a daily basis. Yet he also confronts death in a thoughtful, reflective and considered way, helping others to deal with the trauma of war. Now revised and brought fully up to date, this book is a unique first-hand narrative of a conflict that inspired individual and collective heroism among British armed forces, inspiring great pride in 'our boys' by the public back at home, but which also provoked – and continues to provoke – fierce debate.
Every Man a Hero: A Memoir of D-Day, the First Wave at Omaha Beach, and a World at War(With: Ray Lambert)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Omaha Beach legend Ray Lambert's unforgettable firsthand account of D-Day—read the astonishing true story celebrated by Tom Brokaw, CBS This Morning, NPR, and the President. Seventy-five years ago, he hit Omaha Beach with the first wave. Now Ray Lambert, ninety-eight years old, delivers one of the most remarkable memoirs of our time, a tour-de-force of remembrance evoking his role as a decorated World War II medic who risked his life to save the heroes of D-Day. At five a.m. on June 6, 1944, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ray Lambert worked his way through a throng of nervous soldiers to a wind-swept deck on a troopship off the coast of Normandy, France. A familiar voice cut through the wind and rumble of the ship’s engines. “Ray!” called his brother, Bill. Ray, head of a medical team for the First Division’s famed 16th Infantry Regiment, had already won a silver star in 1943 for running through German lines to rescue trapped men, one of countless rescues he’d made in North Africa and Sicily. “This is going to be the worst yet,” Ray told his brother, who served alongside him throughout the war. “If I don’t make it,” said Bill, “take care of my family.” “I will,” said Ray. He thought about his wife and son–a boy he had yet to see. “Same for me.” The words were barely out of Ray’s mouth when a shout came from below. To the landing craft! The brothers parted. Their destinies lay ten miles away, on the bloodiest shore of Normandy, a plot of Omaha Beach ironically code named “Easy Red.” Less than five hours later, after saving dozens of lives and being wounded at least three separate times, Ray would lose consciousness in the shallow water of the beach under heavy fire. He would wake on the deck of a landing ship to find his battered brother clinging to life next to him. Every Man a Hero is the unforgettable story not only of what happened in the incredible and desperate hours on Omaha Beach, but of the bravery and courage that preceded them, throughout the Second World War—from the sands of Africa, through the treacherous mountain passes of Sicily, and beyond to the greatest military victory the world has ever known.
George Washington
In many ways, George Washington is the most important figure in the history of the United States. Against all military odds, he led the colonies to liberation from the superior forces of the British Empire. He presided over the creation of the Constitution, helping to outline a system of government that remains in place after more than two hundred years. And by the time he had completed his two terms as president, America was well on its way to becoming the richest and most powerful nation on earth. Yet despite his importance, Washington is an enigmatic figure to many Americans today. In his biography of the first president, Paul Johnson presents a concise yet vivid portrait of Washington as warrior, commander-in-chief, Constitution maker, and president. He also examines Washington’s skills as farmer, surveyor and entrepreneur. Johnson has created a brilliant, sharply etched portrait of this iconic figure in American history. Paul Johnson, a celebrated journalist and historian, is the author of numerous books, including A History of the American People. He lectures all over the world and lives in London. “Masterful ... [Johnson] concisely yet vividly portrays the life and legacy of our first president ... A sharply focused snapshot.” — Publishers Weekly
The Boys' Crusade
The Boys’ Crusade is the great historian Paul Fussell’s unflinching and unforgettable account of the American infantryman’s experiences in Europe during World War II. Based in part on the author’s own experiences, it provides a stirring narrative of what the war was actually like, from the point of view of the children—for children they were—who fought it. While dealing definitively with issues of strategy, leadership, context, and tactics, Fussell has an additional purpose: to tear away the veil of feel-good mythology that so often obscures and sanitizes war’s brutal essence. “A chronicle should deal with nothing but the truth,” Fussell writes in his Preface. Accord-ingly, he eschews every kind of sentimentalism, focusing instead on the raw action and human emotion triggered by the intimacy, horror, and intense sorrows of war, and honestly addressing the errors, waste, fear, misery, and resentments that plagued both sides. In the vast literature on World War II, The Boys’ Crusade stands wholly apart. Fussell’s profoundly honest portrayal of these boy soldiers underscores their bravery even as it deepens our awareness of their experiences. This book is both a tribute to their noble service and a valuable lesson for future generations.