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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > General
History books and novels are filled with stories of young men
and women going off to war. In each, the experiences and challenges
are as varied as the people themselves. The stories tell of leaders
and followers, cowards and he-roes. In "Where's Charlie?" author
Tim Soyars narrates his own story of how he came of age while
serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War.
In this memoir, Soyars tells how his personality, background,
and attitude contributed to his will to succeed and his desire to
be involved in the Vietnam War. As a boy, he always knew he'd serve
his country. With both humor and sincerity, Soyars narrates his
story-his birth in Virginia in 1945, his induction into the army in
1965, his marriage in 1966, and his one-year service in Vietnam
with the First Calvary from March of 1967 to 1968.
Including photos of the period, "Where's Charlie?" conveys not
only the sadness and heroics often associated with war, but also
shares stories of warmth, compassion, and romance. It provides a
glimpse into the horror of battle and offers insight into one
soldier's actions and thoughts during this unique time in
history.
Firefight is a compilation of Rick Kurelo's personal accounts as a
professional firefighter in Canada and as a Canadian Forces soldier
in Afghanistan and Bosnia. Ninety-seven stories and forty-five
photos document Rick's experiences at scenes of chaos and conflict,
where he and his teams encounter one dangerous scenario after
another. They convey the deadly tensions, pressures and risks that
can arise at any moment, as well as the poignant human connections
that often occur. Firefight is a memoir that brings to life the
human experience - the tragic, touching and humorous - that we all
share.
During her childhood, Lee Summers came to realize what a special
father she had in Henry Sonnenfeld, a former US Marine. He
instilled discipline and commitment in her, and he taught her about
sacrifice, heroism, and patriotism. Best of all, he had wonderful
bedtime stories. Never Anticipate the Command is the first in a
series to share Henry's remarkable stories of being a US Marine
during World War II and the Korean War. As told through his
daughter, Henry reveals how, as a young man from New Jersey, he
enlisted in the US Marine Corps after Pearl Harbor and fought the
Japanese in the brutal Pacific campaign. Henry relates those first
few harrowing days as a marine and the grueling training regimen on
Parris Island. With remarkably vivid details, he recounts life on
the island of Bougainville; tells the tale of his island pet, a
womp-cat named Bougie Sam; and describes watching Pappy Boyington's
Black Sheep Squadron perform. Never Anticipate the Command recalls
an era when men rose to action to protect their country. It shows
how one man in particular served God, his country, and his
family-in that order.
Does class rank really matter? Q: What do you call the person who's
last in their class in medical or law school? A: Doctor or Lawyer.
Q: And, what do you call the person who's last in their class at
West Point, Annapolis or the U.S. Air Force Academy? A: Lieutenant
or Ensign. Same Date of Rank salutes 17 men and three women grads
at the top and bottom, representing the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force
and Marine Corps. They range from the "goat" or last man in West
Point's Class of 1942, who was the first man in his class promoted
to Brigadier General, to a 1999 Annapolis All-American rugby player
who has served three tours in Iraq in the Marine Corps. Read about
combat leaders, admirals, astronauts, pilots, ship captains,
business leaders, an historian, logistics expert, mayor, teacher
and software guru. The book also provides class ranks of many
famous academy grads from George Pickett and George Armstrong
Custer (lasts) to Robert E. Lee and Douglas MacArthur (2nd and 1st)
as well as Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, John McCain, and Jim
Webb plus athletes like Roger Staubach of the NFL and David
Robinson of the NBA. And, it includes timely information about how
to apply to each of the three academies, too.
When Howard D. Linson joined the U.S. Army at 18 in 1998, wanting
to serve his country, he never could have anticipated the ordeal he
would face. During his nine-year career he experienced continuous
harassment and violence for being a bisexual soldier, which nearly
cost him his life. Throughout Linson's enlistment, the issue of
gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) people in the military was
governed by the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (DADT), which was
repealed in December 2010. It allowed all citizens to join
regardless of sexual orientation, as long as they did not reveal
their sexual identities. As a result, DADT put Linson and other GLB
soldiers in a maddeningly ambiguous situation-they could serve as
long as they lived a secret life. And while the law changed the
military's policies, it did not change the army's entrenched
hatred, ignorance, and bigotry about GLB soldiers. The Untold Truth
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is Linson's harrowing account of surviving
a nightmare world of ignorance, paranoia, and oppression, where
your greatest enemy is your comrade in arms.
This Book attempts to deduce regulatory standards that can close
the gaps between the Promises made and the Outcomes secured by the
United Nations in relation to its use of force. It explores two
broad questions in this regard: why the contemporary legal
framework relevant to the regulation of force during Armed Conflict
cannot close the gaps between the said Promises and Outcomes and
how the 'Unified Use of Force Rule' formulated herein, achieves
this. This is the first book to coherently analyse the moral as
well as legal aspects relevant to UN use of force. UN peace
operations are rapidly changing. Deployed peacekeepers are now
required to use force in pursuance of numerous objectives such as
self-defence, protecting civilians, and carrying out targeted
offensive operations. As a result, questions about when, where, and
how to use force have now become central to peacekeeping. While UN
peace operations have managed to avoid catastrophes of the
magnitude of Rwanda and Srebrenica for over two decades, crucial
gaps still exist between what the UN promises on the use of force
front, and what it achieves. Current conflict zones such as the
Central African Republic, Eastern Congo, and Mali stand testament
to this. This book searches for answers to these issues and
identifies how an innovative mix of the relevant legal and moral
rules can produce regulatory standards that can allow the UN to
keep their promises. The discussion covers analytical ground that
must be traversed 'behind the scenes' of UN deployment, well before
the first troops set foot on a battlefield. The analysis ultimately
produces a 'Unified Use of Force Rule', that can either be
completely or partially used as a model set of Rules of Engagement
by UN forces. This book will be immensely beneficial to law
students, researchers, academics and practitioners in the fields of
international relations, international law, peacekeeping, and human
rights.
"What next?" The Colonel asked. Chief Master Sergeant George T.
Graham, Jr. stood beside the Colonel. "This will not be good," he
thought. "What next?" The Colonel asked, noting no one had heard
him the first time. "He shot her." Sergeant Lucas confessed,
abruptly, interrupting the Colonel as if he anticipated the
question. He did. He had witnessed the event. "It's that simple. He
shot her...she was....very...she was very...pretty." Sergeant Lucas
collected himself. Or so we thought. His eyes welled up with
emotion. He glanced at Chief Graham. .."..and then he...after a
very brief and...very........... quiet....argument," Sergeant Lucas
continued in an uncollected tone. "There was an argument. An
argument that nearly nobody - nobody - witnessed or in any way took
seriously.... Why would we?" The young sergeant took another breath
and pressed ahead with his story. "He stood there. Diego Gianelli
stood there. He pulled out a large pistol. A LARGE pistol," Lucas
emphasized. "And he shot her.....point blank......what a mess "
"What next?" The Colonel asked again. "What next?" Lucas repeated.
Chief Graham nodded toward Lucas to continue. Lucas continued as
ordered.
For Rich Bishop, reporting to basic training for the US Navy was
reminiscent of Dorothy leaving Kansas and ending up in Oz. The
transition from civilian to navy life overwhelmed Bishop. In "Nuts
to Butts," he narrates excerpts of his twenty-two-year career-from
basic training to retirement.
In this memoir, Bishop tells of meeting a wide assortment of
people and the problems they brought with them. He shares the good
and not-so-good times of serving in the fleet, including dealing
with the loss of privacy, becoming a team member, and keeping US
warships in mission-ready condition and the crews in shape to play
the mental games required in an examination- and deployment-laden
schedule. "Nuts to Butts" describes living through basic training,
working in the scullery of an aircraft carrier, serving duty as
shore patrol, visiting exotic ports of call for liberty, climbing a
plateau with shear vertical sides in Sri Lanka, living on the naval
base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and making night dives among the
sharks.
Bishop provides keen insight into the life of a sailor,
delivered with humor. He not only fondly remembers his service, but
preserves the stories for all.
Being transformed from a civilian life to that of a 'uniform' one
never came easy; and when the transformation was in an
officer-training institution, only the strongest and the best
survived. For a First Term Officer Cadet in the Nigerian Defence
Academy during my time, that experience was more like the 'survival
of the fittest'.
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