Each soldier who chooses to join his brothers in arms to defend this country's freedom knows that at sometime he will have to enter the valley of the shadow of death. As you pass through this valley brought on by human conflict, some become lost in the fog of war, while others, through some unexplained reason, by some miracle, survive. There have been stories told and retold by other veterans about unexplained events such as ghosts, whispered voices, lucky charms, guardian angels, and divine intervention that moved these soldiers safely through the valley. In the unwritten history of military conflict there have been literally hundreds of strange events, bizarre happenings in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; that, for many veterans, still remain unexplained. Every veteran who has survived this journey, who still mourns for his lost friends and loved ones tries to find the answer to one burning question, why. Why was he spared? Did the creator have some unfulfilled task for him to complete, or, is it mere chance, a stroke of luck that spared his life? Seeking the answer to this nagging question, an old veteran, in the twilight of his life goes to the Vietnam Memorial Wall, randomly puts his hand on a familiar name, and recalls a long forgotten memory. This book is a collection of stories not only about the strange events and happenings during combat; it is also about the human kindness, love and the drama that somehow prevails during the trauma of war. These stories although fictionalized were inspired by a true premise. J. A. (Pappy) Smith LTC USAF - Retired Forward Air Controller 2nd/16th Ranger Battalion 1st Infantry Division, Vietnam. Sidewinder 24

These proceedings of the Twelfth American Peptide Symposium include 363 articles which were selected for publication on the basis of originality, timeliness and scientific significance. This volume includes contributions on ppetide hormones, neuropeptides, lipid-interactive peptides, peptide and protein conformation, de novo design, structure-activity relationships, synthetic methods, large-scale peptide synthesis, viruses and vaccines, peptide mimetics, peptide inhibitors, immunology and new biologically active peptides.

After living a torturous and cruel existence, Myka holds onto the one thing that vampire's believed are a weakness; her soul and humanity. Unexpectedly she is rescued from her three-hundred year imprisonment only to find herself to be the key in an evil plot to take over mankind. Necromancers were never to be turned per vampire law, yet here she is, fighting alongside humorous ghosts, arrogant Angelo- Saxons, and irritating charmers, to stop the evilness from spreading. But is she strong enough to overcome the obstacles before her? Or will the darkness consume her soul.

After living a mundane life Lana is shocked to find out that her family is shifters, her dead mother was a telepath and apparently vampire exists, and are at the top of the food chain. After a party gone bad Lana is kidnapped to fight in the "Arena" for the vampire's entertainment; she must leave all that she had ever known behind in order to survive and keep those she loves safe from harm. Will she be changed into the monster the vampires want her to be or something stronger that the shifters need her to become.