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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > General
This WW II novel revolves around the experience of a callow youth
destined to join the Fourth Infantry Division in Hrtgen Forest. The
narrative traces the bonded ties of six comrades in arms, three of
whom are killed and three wounded. Vividly detailed, the stressful
existence of Combat Infantrymen causes some men to break. What
helps those who see it through is their loyalty to one another,
called a "culture of caring" by their Chaplain. In Part I our
innocent recruits are sobered by incidental casualties on the way
up, which initiate them into the inconsequence of death. Part II
takes them into Hrtgen, a battle fought under continuous icy rain
in steep-hilled terrain favoring the well entrenched Germans.
Casualties often run over l00% of a Company's authorized strength.
Attacks are met by unrelenting artillery and mortar fire-machine
guns at close range. In a typical situation, our narrator covers a
Sergeant, who, after taking out a machine gun pinning the Company
down, is himself killed by a sniper. A hard-headed West Pointer
insists on night action, impossible in the Forest, and, after
stepping on a mine that takes his legs off, he rolls on another
that hits those nearby. General Patton called Hrtgen "an epic of
stark infantry combat." Part III deals with how, badly depleted in
numbers and morale, the men successfully withstand the
Breakthrough, thereby saving Luxembourg, a defense for which Patton
gave the Fourth a Unit Citation. In the concluding Part, the
narrator is wounded and put on limited assignment. He dislikes the
rear echelon life-style, guys being obsessed with whores, drinking,
stealing, and feasting, but he holds his peace and decides he'll
return to the world wherereality matters.
In the uncertain days before a young America would be torn apart by
a war between the states, a small boy named Morgan Montgomery is
orphaned and sent to live with his mother's wealthy relatives. They
attend her funeral service and take the nine-year-old to live with
them and grow up on their large plantation near Columbia,
Tennessee.
As he begins to grow into manhood, tensions erupt to the boiling
point. And for one frightening year after war breaks out, Morgan
remains on the plantation, torn between his loyalty to his adopted
family and his duty as a Southern man. After much trepidation, he
decides to enlist in the Confederate army and ends up riding with
Nathan Bedford Forrest.
The story tells of the hardships and tribulations of the war,
and of his undying love for Charity, the young lady who helped
nurse him back to health after he was severely wounded near her
home in Mississippi. After the war's end, they are separated by
circumstance, and Morgan begins his quest to find her again.
Morgan, clinging desperately to the hope that he will find her,
travels to Texas. He works his way across the state, surviving any
way he can, hoping that his travels will reunite him with his lost
Charity.
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Nine From The Ninth
(Hardcover)
Paul A. Newman; As told to Bob Wallace, Jack Bick
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Thirty years after the Vietnam War, three soldiers collaborate with
three short stories each to create
The Unrequited is an incredible story of the turbulent years of the
Indochina War seen through the multiple eyes of fictional French
and Vietnamese. They live the historical times at the end of the
Second World War through the decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu. In
this time of revolutionary change French colonials and legionaries
are pitted against the followers of Ho Chi Minh and General Giap.
Nguyen van Phan, a reporter in exile, leads his new family from a
rural village back to Ha Noi to report on the Vietnamese struggle
for independence. His wife Thi reluctantly follows. Lieutenant
Pasteur, a newly commissioned French Legionnaire seeking adventure,
is posted to Ha Noi as a platoon leader. An aging Doctor Ashtray
adbandons all hope of returning to France and cares for the few
remaining French civilians and the growing number of military
casualties. The oprhan Lao survives in the streets until he is
forcibly recruited by the Viet Minh. These lives and others are
interwoven in the threads of history, their viewpoints colored by
the past and the sights and sounds of the place and era that lead
them on seperate parallel journeys. Through the years of conflict,
they remain unrequited. Not for the faint of heart, this novel
portrays the grim face of war. History proved the period just the
first act of a much longer tragedy that might have been avoided if
America had learned the lesson of those years.
Unknown to Trong, scouts had reported increased American activity
to the southeast of the camp, which possibly meant the Americans
were moving into the area. Every precaution had been taken to
ensure that the camp was not taken by surprise. Patrols were sent
out daily. Observation posts were placed well forward of the camp,
and fi ghting positions around the camp were manned at all times.
Trong checked his equipment one more time as he waited for the
Americans. He slid the bolt back on his Soviet made AK-47 making
sure that a round was chambered. Next, he checked the green plastic
American-made detonator, which was attached to the Chinese claymore
mine located thirty meters from his position. He thought himself
ready and tried to fi ght the panic that assailed his mind. He
thought of what his section leader had told him. "Wait, until the
Americans were close to the mine before detonating it. Then use
your rifl e to kill any of the Americans that are left alive."
Chester Porter was born and raised in Texas. He was drafted into
the Army in 1967 and served with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade.
In 1968 he was transferred to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. In
1982 he became a Federal Law Enforcement Offi cer for the
Department of Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service. He retired
from federal service in 2005 after twenty-nine years of government
service. Porter lives today, outside of Savannah Georgia in the
small town of Rincon.
On May 14, 1965, four sailors took part in a mission to rescue
four marines in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The mission
was simple: venture into the jungle and locate the four trapped
marines. But soon they were surrounded by the enemy, and the only
means of escape was via the sea. Five men were wounded, and one
man, John Heartly, not only fired more than two hundred rounds, but
also carried a little Vietnamese girl out of the jungle and into
safety.
Just after the new year of 1988, navy personnel discover a file
of yellowed documents wedged between some old filing cabinets. The
file holds the records of that May 14, 1965, mission. It narrates
the details of the rescue and notes that all of the participants
were decorated and given medals, except one-John Heartly.
Now, thirty-three years later, the US government intends to
rectify the situation. But first they must verify the details and
locate the rescued Vietnamese girl; only then can they give Heartly
his long-overdue recognition.
A winter storm rages over our Nation's Capitol. A new President is
about to assume office after a hard fought campaign and the country
gathers together for the Inauguration. It should have been a
routine assignment for Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Stone, First
Sergeant Elizabeth Carter, and their Marines. Their task: Provide
contingency combat forces for the Inaugural. But ominous forces are
gathering, from a city outside Fort Bragg, NC, to the suburbs of
Maryland and Virginia. And they have a plan. A plan to launch a
devastating attack on the President during the Inaugural Will the
authorities discover the conspiracy? Can they put the pieces
together in time to save the President? Or, will it result in a
desperate showdown between the terrorists and the Marines on the
steps of our Nation's Capitol Gripping suspense, realistic
characters, and authentic military action are the hallmark of this
hard-hitting military-political thriller from the author of Twist
of Fate. It will give you chills.
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