The Cold War was only cold in that the major powers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union, did not engage in a nuclear war. But during that period (1945-1991) there were wars, spying, shoot downs of numerous reconnaissance aircraft, captures of U.S. military personnel, murders, defections, a space race with men put in orbit and an eventual moon landing.
Dangerous Games: Faces, Incidents and Casualties of the Cold War is a return to that era. This book contains many unknown and long-since forgotten stories of that period. Some of the Cold War incidents covered include:
- The Marines in China;
- The first Cold War downing of an American Aircraft in the Baltic Sea;
- Death on the Orient Express (murder of a U.S. Naval Attache Officer);
- Actor James Garner's Front Line Army Experience South of the Yalu River during the Korean War;
- Soviet Spy Betty Bentley Who Triggered an Earthquake in American Politics;
- No Kum-Sok, the North Korean pilot who Defected to South Korea Delivering the First MIG Fighter to the West;
- CIA Officers Downey & Feacteau Who Spent 20 Years in a Chinese Prison;
- East German Soldier Hans Conrad Schumann and His Iconic leap to the West in Berlin;
- The Mysterious Death of British Frogman "Buster" Crabb;
- Yuri Gagarin, First Man in Space;
- Commander Lloyd Bucher and the Second Korean Conflict;
- The USS Forrestal Fire.
With the resurgence of Russia, and its aggressive handling of the Georgian situation, Eastern European countries have become increasingly alarmed that Russia is attempting to recreate a sphere of influence over satellite states of the former Soviet Union.
To add to the mounting tension with the West, Russia in its attempt to become a world power once again, has already begun to show its flag in the Western Hemisphere.
Considering that we may be facing a second Cold War, this book is a timely reminder of some notable incidents from the intense political period following the end of the Second World War.

Imagine yourself many years from now, reflecting on your life and saying: "I regret nothing I have done, or have not done, as I was in control of my own life..." What would need to change for you to get to that point? Albert Ellis (founder of modern behavior therapy) once said "The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny." Let Wise Sages take you on a journey of self-exploration and self-improvement by using the life of a fighter pilot as metaphor, to expose yourself to inspirational stories, poems and quotes with only one thought in mind: to help you develop skills and dispositions related to General Wisdom, Leadership and Personal Development, Courage, and Success. Life in Small Bites has reflection areas in 'workbook' style in which you write down thoughts as well as answer questions to help you move on from where you were before to where you want to go. "The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated by quotations." - Benjamin Disraeli Did you know that it is not the event that has you behave in a certain manner, but rather the way you think and reflect on an event? Many people know exactly what they need to do to improve their lives, but unfortunately their brain play mind-tricks that get them stuck in negative thinking. In such cases, it is better to take small bites out of life by doing what you know is good, and by following the path in Small Bites, you will learn how to adapt your thinking to unexpected events. Reading Small Bites will not cure anxiety, self-doubt, despair, shingles, halitosis, or provide you with a 50% paycheck raise. Rather, it will provide you with the knowledge and insights that will help prevent the emergence of these symptoms of negative and stressed behavior in the future. Knowing what to do but not doing it leads you on the path towards defeat. Not knowing what to do is fine, as you are open to learning how to improve your situation. Small Bites can be your guide to help you going from "what you know to do" to the positive behavior of learning "what to do." Today is the last day of the first of your life. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. - Anonymous Act Today, and Start Improving Your Life one Small Bite at the time.

Today, women in all U.S. military services are involved in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They serve as pilots and crewmen of assault helicopters, bombers, fighters, and transport planes and are frequently engaged in firefights with enemy insurgents while guarding convoys. They perform pat down searches of Arab women at checkpoints, carry out military police duties, and serve aboard Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships at sea. Like their male counterparts, they carry out their missions with determination and great courage. The advent of the insurgency war, which has no rear or front lines, has made the debate regarding women in combat irrelevant. In such a war zone anyone can be killed or injured at any moment. The stories of these thirty courageous women are told here by James E. Wise, a former naval aviator and Vietnam veteran, and Scott Baron, a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and former law enforcement officer in California, through numerous personal interviews and oral history interviews conducted by staff at The Women’s Memorial, located in Arlington, Virginia. In every case they were struck by the women’s extraordinary display of dedication to their mission and to the soldiers and sailors with whom they served. While the book’s focus is on today’s women in combat, it also reaches back to Korea, Vietnam and World War II to offer selected stories of inspiring women who served at the"cusp of the spear" as they fought and died for their country.

The Silver Star is awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States not justifying a higher award. It may be awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S Armed Forces, distinguishes himself or herself by extraordinary heroism involving one of the following actions: In action against an enemy of the United States: While engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party The Silver Star differs from the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross or Air Force Cross, in that it requires a lesser degree of gallantry and need not be earned while in a position of great responsibility. Soldiers who received a citation for gallantry in action during World War I were eligible to apply to have the citation converted to the Silver Star Medal. The authors have compiled this stirring collection of profiles in courage to honour the Sailors and Marines awarded the Silver Star by the U.S. Navy while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It documents the extraordinary, award-winning actions of young American men in the war against global terrorism. A companion volume to The Navy Cross (Naval Institute Press, 2007), this book also includes selected profiles of Silver Star recipients from previous wars whose stories stand out as the best among an elite group. It is the first book to recognize and preserve for future generations the selfless dedication shown by Silver Star medalists in their fight for freedom.

Heroism, tragedy, devotion to duty, and scandal are just a few of the ingredients that make up this dramatic first-time account of troopship losses in wartime. International in scope, it offers a compilation of stories about historic troopship disasters caused by torpedoes, aerial attacks, mines, surface fire, foul weather, friendly fire, and poor planning by military decision makers. Some are well known, like the explosion of the steamship Sultana on the Mississippi while transporting 2,000 Union soldiers home from Confederate prisons. Others, like the June 1945 sinking of the Japanese cruiser Ashigara by a British submarine that resulted in the loss of 800 Japanese soldiers, are little known. An extraordinary few far surpass the authors' criteria for selection of disasters with high troop loss and the involvement of heroic acts. Among the most memorable is the 1851 sinking of the British frigate Birkenhead with some 600 soldiers and their wives and children aboard. Lacking sufficient lifeboats, the men stood steady in their ranks on deck as the ship went down. Board of Inquiry hearings, action reports, survivor debriefings, and personal correspondence collected from archives in Germany, Italy, Russia, Australia, Britain, and the United States tell the story of some fifty vessels that went down. Many of these disasters, the authors explain, were kept secret for decades. An introductory chapter provides an overview of troop losses at sea beginning with the age of galley warfare, but the majority of the book focuses on losses of World War II Allied and Axis ships followed by incidents from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. James E. Wise Jr., a former naval aviator and intelligence specialist, is the coauthor of many books published by the Naval Institute Press, including Shooting the War and International Stars at War (see pages 12 and 24), which was also written with Scott Baron. Baron is the author of a collection of biographies of uncommon Americans.