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'.

World War II has left an indelible mark on the fabric of human history. The exploits of men like Hitler and Mussolini, Roosevelt and Churchill are chronicled in countless books and movies. Their names and their actions will never be forgotten-and for good reason. To gain a deeper understanding of the war's impact, however, we must look beyond the names that grace the pages of textbooks and recognize the sacrifices of the anonymous soldiers who risked life and limb to serve the country they loved.

With each passing year, their stories-which persist only through the oral history passed from generation to generation-fade into the ether of time. As a boy, author William S. Murray listened to his grandfather's stories about training as a pilot during World War II with rapt attention. In an effort to preserve these memories, Murray sat down with his grandfather, Thomas Stewart, to record these stories for posterity. Stewart shares memories both happy and bittersweet, from his beginnings in Byhalia, Mississippi, through his experiences as a pilot during the war years.

"Journey to War" is not the story of familiar heroes like Eisenhower, Patton, and MacArthur. This is the story of one ordinary man doing his part to serve his country during extraordinary times. This is the story of Second Lieutenant Thomas Stewart and the men with whom he served.

Sixteen-year-old twins, Frank, Jr. and Gerry wanted to help their mother make ends meet after their father became estranged from their Boston family. The year was 1942; America was at war in Europe and the South Pacific. The twins saw the chance to earn military pay to send back home to Mom. There was one problem. The minimum age for enlistment in the United States military was 17. Together they hatched a plan to enlist. Gerald is accepted into the US Navy. Frank finds a way into the US Coast Guard. These are Frank's stories, sometimes funny, of the brave young men and women he served with until President Harry Truman announced the end of World War II on September 2, 1945.

That's The Way The Ball Bounces, is a memoir of a teenage soldier's some what unusual service as a Military Policeman in the Army Air Force during WW II. After basic training in Miami Beach the MP Company was stationed for over two years at the head quarters of a Replacement Depot in the English Midlands. The company was billeted in a dormitory like barrack with two men per room. After the war what remained of the company spent two months in Germany. This is both a personal and a social history of the then Army life and Military Police duties.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Mel Amler was a sociable and motivated dental student completing his first semester at New York University. The following spring, the US Army commissioned him and thousands of his classmates nationwide in the Medical Administrative Corps (MAe Reserve. Their coursework was accelerated to supply the armed forces with critically needed dental officers. Upon graduation, the newly minted dentists were whisked off to basic training and to combat zones worldwide. Armed with a .45 automatic and carbine, his newly gained profession, and a commission as a First Lieutenant, Mel found himself deep in the jungles of Mindanao, The Philippines. Standing watch duty in the pitch-black rain-flooded midnight, he wondered how this city boy who loved science and music had come to this.

The commander, or chief of staff, of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is a prominent public figure in Israel. His decisions, advice, and persona exert direct influence on force design and military strategy, and indirectly impact social, economic, and foreign affairs. This first-ever in-depth comparative study on the role and performance of the IDF chiefs of staff throughout modern Israel's history offers lessons for practitioners and students of strategy, military history, and leadership everywhere.

Ten days before the D-day landings at Normandy, Lt. Henry Woodrum woke early to fl y a combat mission that culminated in being shot down over the northern suburbs of Paris. Expected to be captured as he hung suspended in his parachute over Nazi-occupied France, Lt. Woodrum never lost hope-even as he realized the Germans were trying to kill him before he hit the ground.

Lt. Woodrum's thirty-fifth combat mission flying the Martin Maruder B-26 was supposed to last just a few hours, but it ended up continuing three months as he struggled to survive in war-torn France. In his fascinating war memoir, Woodrum shares his true account of how he managed to evade capture while being aided by the French Underground-some of whom paid the ultimate price for their loyalty to the downed American pilot.

"Walkout" not only relays the incredible story of a young American behind enemy lines during pivotal months of World War II but also illustrates the quiet heroism displayed by American airmen and the French Resistance during an unforgettable time in history.

"A true story of a B-26 pilot's escape from the Nazis after bailing out over Paris. A must read " -Col. William F. Nicol, USAFR, MC (Ret)

* Commissioned a 2nd Lt. in British Army during French-Indian War by King George II. * Commanded an American regiment in 7 major battles during Revolutionary War. * Crossed the Delaware River with George Washington to attack the Hessians at Trenton. * Acting commander of the brigade at Valley Forge * Commissioner dealing with two Indian Treaties. * Stopped Shays's attack on Springfield Armory. * Served in fifth, sixth and seventh Congress.

This book-a Leonaur original-contains three rare works by members of Wellington's green sharpshooters. The first was written by Rifleman Knight-a personality who rarely appears in histories of the regiment-but who fought at Waterloo and took part in the pursuit of the French Army to Paris. He subsequently went to Portugal to fight as a mercenary and his account of his adventures on campaign and on the battlefield make riveting reading. Henry Curling wielded the pen that brought to the public the well known memoirs of Rifleman Benjamin Harris. This book contains more military anecdotes recorded by Curling from reports of other British soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars including several more by Harris himself. The final piece is a short history of the Rifles by Jonathan Leach who was an officer of the regiment and his history directly recounts events in which he was a personal and active participant.

This account of the amphibious operations carried out in Iraq (then called Mesopotamia) against the Turks in the Great War is replete with names all too familiar to us today: Basra, Nasiriya, Baghdad. For then, as now, British sailors and soldiers were fighting a neglected, thankless campaign in a tough environment where, according to the author who commanded it: 'there was too much water for the soldiers and not enough for the sailors'. Vice-Admiral Nunn, in his elegant sloop of a gunboat Espiegle, commanded a mixed force that, along with irregulars he calls 'our Arab allies' fought their way up the great twin TIgris and Euphrates rivers against stubborn and determined Turkish resistance. Despite disappointments, such as the failure to re-take the town of Kut al Amara, lost with all its garrison early in the war, the campaign was eventually crowned with success with the capture of Baghdad in 1917. This is a book that will interest all Great War buffs, as well as those studying amphibious operations and anyone serving in Iraq today.

Slim though this unit history is, it covers a lot of ground - from the raising of the battalions of this distinguished Indian regiment by that brilliant soldier Gen. Sir Charles Napier in 1844 down to the campaign against a post-Second World War Communist takeover of Greece in 1944-46. En route, the Battalion saw service on many a bloodstained battlefield including campaigns against their fellow countrymen around the famous North-West frontier in the 19th century, to both world wars. A fascinating history of a fierce fighting unit which will be snapped up by all those interested in India and her soldiers.