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A Special Valor

Author : Richard Wheeler

Publisher : Naval Institute Press

Page : 482 pages

File Size : 50,6 MB

Release : 2013-11-15

Category : History

ISBN : 1612514413

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Book Description

If the U.S. Marines gave birth to a legend in the halls of Montezuma in the nineteenth century, they added glorious luster to it with their heroism and victories against the Japanese in World War II. For this vivid, foxhole view of the Marines' war, Richard Wheeler draws extensively on frontline eyewitness accounts of Marines and combat journalists and backs up their stories with official U.S. action reports and captured Japanese materials. First published in 1983, the book has earned praise as a popular, one-volume history of all the battles fought by the Marine Corps in the Pacific campaign. The book describes in fascinating and exciting detail the heroic defense of Wake Island against an overwhelming enemy assault force. It traces the long bloody battle for Guadalcanal that brought the Marines their first victory and gave America and its allies control of the strategically important Soloman Islands. It follows the painful, island-by-island counterattack toward the Japanese homeland when the Marines created new legends at such places as Bougainville, Saipan, Tarawa, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Here are the remarkable exploits of the Marines holding off Japanese assault waves at Heartbreak Ridge, storming across coral reefs, and struggling up the slopes of Mount Suribachi to raise the Stars and Stripes. Some sixty-five photographs enhance the book, which is now available in paperback for the first time.



Uncommon Valor

Author : Stephen Moore

Publisher : Naval Institute Press

Page : 316 pages

File Size : 28,98 MB

Release : 2018-10-01

Category : History

ISBN : 1682473120

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Book Description

Uncommon Valor is a look into the formation and operation of an advanced Special Forces recon company during the Vietnam War. Code-named the Studies and Observations Group, SOG was the most covert U.S. military unit in its time and contained only volunteers from such elite units as the Army's Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and Air Force Air Commandos. SOG warriors operated in small teams, going behind enemy lines in Laos and Cambodia and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, tasked with performing special reconnaissance, sabotaging North Vietnamese Army ammunition, attempting to rescue downed U.S. pilots, and other black ops missions. During that time, Forward Operating Base-2's (FOB-2's) recon company became the most highly decorated unit of the Vietnam War, with five of its men earning the Medal of Honor and eight earning the Distinguished Service Cross-America's second highest military award for valor. Purple Hearts were earned by SOG veterans at a pace unparalleled in American wars of the twentieth century, with casualties at times exceeding 100 percent. One, Bob Howard, was wounded on fourteen different occasions, received eight Purple Hearts, was written up after three different missions for the Medal of Honor, and emerged from Vietnam as the most highly decorated soldier since World War II's Audie Murphy.



Special Forces Heroes

Author : Michael Ashcroft

Publisher : Headline

Page : 255 pages

File Size : 48,18 MB

Release : 2012-10-25

Category : History

ISBN : 0755364511

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Book Description

This ebook edition contains the full text version as per the book. Doesn't include original photographic and illustrated material. This book tells the stories of forty heroes, all awarded bravery medals for their conduct during Special Forces missions over the last 150 years. Often covert hit-and-run operations involving very small numbers of highly skilled men, those who partake in these missions know that their goals involve a high level of risk. They are men who would die for their country, no questions asked. With many incredible stories, particularly from the Second World War, including the Cockleshell Heroes, and other conflicts from the twentieth century, such as the Iranian Embassy siege, this collection of real-life action adventure brings the bravery of Britain's heroes to life. Every medal in Lord Ashcroft's extensive collection tells a story and these are some of the most thrilling.



Uncommon Valor

Author : Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Publisher : Macmillan + ORM

Page : 323 pages

File Size : 13,7 MB

Release : 2010-09-14

Category : History

ISBN : 1429988916

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Book Description

Uncommon Valor from Dwight Jon Zimmerman and John D. Gresham presents a fascinating look at six of our bravest soldiers and the highest military decoration awarded in this country. Since the Vietnam War ended in 1973, the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award for valor, has been presented to only eight men for their actions "above and beyond the call of duty." Six of the eight were young men who had fought in the current war in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. All of these medals were awarded posthumously, as all had made the choice to give their lives so that their comrades might live. Uncommon Valor answers the searing question of who these six young soldiers were, and dramatically details how they found themselves in life-or-death situations, and why they responded as they did. For the first time, this book also provides a comprehensive history of the Medal of Honor itself—one marred by controversies, scandals, and theft. Using an extraordinary range of sources, including interviews with family members and friends, teammates and superiors in the military, personal letters, blogs posted within hours of events, personal and official videos and newly declassified documents, Uncommon Valor is a compelling and important work that recounts incredible acts of heroism and lays bare the ultimate sacrifice of our bravest soldiers.



Valor

Author : Dan Hampton

Publisher : St. Martin's Griffin

Page : 0 pages

File Size : 45,43 MB

Release : 2023-08-22

Category : Biography & Autobiography

ISBN : 1250799457

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Book Description

Valor is the magnificent story of a genuine American hero who survived the fall of the Philippines and brutal captivity under the Japanese, from New York Times bestselling author Dan Hampton. Lieutenant William Frederick “Bill” Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun. Shipwrecked on the southern coast of the Philippines, he was sheltered by a Filipino aristocrat, engaged in guerilla fighting, and eventually set off through hostile waters to China. After 29 days of misadventures and violent storms, Harris and his crew limped into a friendly fishing village in the southern Philippines. Evading and fighting for months, he embarked on another agonizing voyage to Australia, but was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eavesdropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years. Valor is a riveting new look at the Pacific War. Through military documents, personal photos, and an unpublished memoir provided by his daughter, Harris’ experiences are dramatically revealed through his own words in the expert hands of bestselling author and retired fighter pilot Dan Hampton. This is the stunning and captivating true story of an American hero.



No Way Out

Author : Mitch Weiss

Publisher : Penguin

Page : 338 pages

File Size : 16,94 MB

Release : 2012-12-31

Category : History

ISBN : 0425253406

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Book Description

In a remote, enemy-held valley in Afghanistan, a Special Forces team planned to scale a steep mountain to surprise and capture a terrorist leader. But before they found the target, the target found them… The team was caught in a deadly ambush that not only threatened their lives, but the entire mission. The elite soldiers fought huddled for hours on a small rock ledge as rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-gun fire rained down on them. With total disregard for their own safety, they tended to their wounded and kept fighting to stay alive. When the battle finally ended, ten soldiers had earned Silver Stars—the Army’s third highest award for combat valor. It was the most Silver Stars awarded to any unit in one battle since Vietnam. Based on dozens of interviews with those who were there, No Way Out is a compelling narrative of an epic battle that not only tested the soldiers’ mettle but serves as a cautionary tale. Be careful what you ask a soldier to do because they will die trying to accomplish their mission.



Valor in Vietnam

Author : Allen B. Clark

Publisher : Open Road Media

Page : 439 pages

File Size : 34,27 MB

Release : 2013-02-26

Category : History

ISBN : 1480406511

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Book Description

“A well-informed, compelling compilation of the ‘up close and personal’ side of the Vietnam War . . . [a] masterful chronicle of first person stories” (Vice Admiral David B. Robinson, USN, Ret., Navy Cross recipient). Every war continues to dwell in the lives it touched, in the lives of those living through that time, and in those absorbed by its historical significance. The Vietnam War lives on—famously or infamously, depending on political points of view—but those who have “been there, done that” have a highly personalized window on their time of that history. Valor in Vietnam focuses on nineteen stories of Vietnam, stories of celebrated figures in the veteran community, compelling war narratives, vignettes of battles, and the emotional impact on the combatants. It is replete with leadership lessons and valuable insights that are just as applicable today as they were forty years ago. This is an anecdotal history of America’s war in Vietnam composed of firsthand narratives by Vietnam War veterans presented in chronological order. They are intense, emotional, and highly personal stories. Connecting each of them is a brief historical commentary of that period of the war, the geography of the story, and the contemporary strategy written by Lewis Sorley, West Point class of 1956, and author of A Better War and Westmoreland. With a foreword by Lt. Gen. Dave R. Palmer, US Army (Ret.), Valor in Vietnam presents an overview of the war through the eyes of participants in each branch of service and throughout the entire course of the war. Simply put, their stories serve to reflect the commitment, honor, and dedication with which America’s veterans performed their service.



Oppose Any Foe

Author : Mark Moyar

Publisher : Basic Books

Page : 442 pages

File Size : 33,14 MB

Release : 2017-04-25

Category : History

ISBN : 0465093019

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Book Description

The epic story of America's most elite warriors: the Special Operations Forces. Born as small appendages to the conventional armies of World War II, the Special Operations Forces have grown into a behemoth of 70,000 troops, including Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, Special Operations Marines, Rangers, and Delta Force. Weaving together their triumphs and tribulations, acclaimed historian Mark Moyar introduces a colorful cast of military men, brimming with exceptional talent, courage and selflessness. In a nation where the military is the most popular institution, America's Special Operations Forces have become the most popular members of the military. Through nighttime raids on enemy compounds and combat advising of resistance movements, special operators have etched their names into the nation's registry of heroes. Yet the public knows little of the journey that they took to reach these heights, a journey that was neither easy nor glamorous. Fighting an uphill battle for most of their seventy-five year history, the Special Operations Forces slipped on many an occasion, and fell far on several. Presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama have enthusiastically championed Special Operations Forces, but their enthusiasm has often surpassed their understanding, resulting in misuse or overuse of the troops. Lacking clearly defined missions, Special Operations Forces have had to reinvent themselves time and again to prove their value in the face of fierce critics-many of them from the conventional military, which from the start opposed the segregation of talent in special units. Highlighting both the heroism of America's most elite soldiers and the controversies surrounding their meteoric growth, Oppose Any Foe presents the first comprehensive history of these special warriors and their daring missions. It is essential reading for anyone interested in America's military history-and the future of warfare.



Valor's Vigil (Christian Historical Suspense)

Author : Hallee Bridgeman

Publisher : Olivia Kimbrell Press

Page : 136 pages

File Size : 48,21 MB

Release : 2015-11-09

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 168190022X

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Book Description

LEOPOLD SCHäFER, the only child of Major Charlene Radden and former spy, Karl Schäfer has trained his enter life for this moment in time. An American spy undercover in a Nazi uniform operating under the codename VALOR, he receives a promotion to Oberleutnant and a new duty assignment in charge of the prisoners in Occupied France’s Valeurville prison. In the wake of Marie Perrin, codename Temperance’s arrest, Leo must handle the situation with the utmost caution. On one hand, every instinct in his heroic mind screams to protect the beautiful wireless operator from the hands of the Nazis. On the other, he cannot risk compromising his cover. It takes quick thinking and not a small amount of prayer to shield her from the harsh interrogation tactics of the Schutzstaffel trained interrogator. While he personally sees to her health and safety, he realizes that more than his cover is at risk as his feelings for the beautiful spy grow. As her situation grows more grave, he must focus on the bigger picture and the whole mission and make the hardest decision of his life. Can he protect her without blowing his own cover, or will he place his own life in danger to keep her safe? VALOR’S VIGIL is the exciting conclusion to the eight serialized novellas entitled the Virtues and Valor series. Seven valorous women — different nationalities, ethnicities, and social backgrounds — come together as a team called the Virtues. In 1941 Great Britain a special war department assembles an experimental and exclusively female cohort of combat operatives. Four willing spies, a wireless radio operator, an ingenious code breaker, and a fearless pilot are each hand-picked, recruited, and trained to initiate a daring mission in Occupied France. As plans are laid to engineer the largest prison break of Allied POWs in history, the Nazis capture the Virtues’ radio operator. It will take the cohesive teamwork of the rest of the women to save her life before Berlin breaks her and brings the force of the Third Reich to bear. Some find love, some find vengeance, and some discover the kind of strength that lives in the human heart when all they can do is rely on each other and their shared belief. Courage, faith, and valor intersect but, in the end, one pays the ultimate price. CONCLUDING the Virtues and Valor series by Hallee Bridgeman. Eight serialized novellas, each inspired by real people and actual events, reveal the incredible story of amazing heroines facing the ultimate test of bravery. **************** the virtues in valor series, virtues in valor, world war ii, bridgeman, christian, christian fiction, christian romance, contemporary, contemporary christian fiction, contemporary christian romance, contemporary inspirational fiction, contemporary inspirational romance, edgy christian fiction, edgy christian romance, edgy inspirational fiction, edgy inspirational romance, fiction, hailey bridgeman, haley bridgeman, halle bridgeman, hallee bridgeman, inspirational, inspirational christian fiction, inspirational fiction, inspirational romance, olivia kimbrell press, Historical Fiction Time Periods, Military & War, Romance, Romantic Heroes, Romantic Themes, Inspirational, Military, Politicans, Spies, International, General, navy, army, soldier, politician, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Characters, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Moods, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Settings, Female Protagonists, Mystery, Small Towns, Suspense, Thrillers, Literary Fiction Themes, Women's Fiction Themes, 20th Century, Friendship, Love Stories, Religion, love, religious, spiritual, career, Religion & Spirituality, Christian Books & Bibles, Spirituality, Christian Fiction, Christian Living, Women, Music, woman, Family, Women's Inspirational, inspire, inspires, inspiration, christian, Hymns, christians, christianity, man, men, Romantic, Thriller, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, sprititual, invasion, traditional romance, europe, axis, allies, nazi, fascist, fascism, hitler, occupied france, france, germany, england, london, paris, berlin, agents, secret agents, valor, virtues, bravery, oss, wwii, world war ii, world war 2, heroines, courage, intelligence, spy, espionage, holocaust, war in europe, agent provocateur, temperance, hope, charity, prudence, grace, mercy, faith, lust, chastity, purity, gluttony, self-restraint, greed, giving, sloth, diligence, wrath, forgiveness, composure, envy, kindness, pride, humility, humbleness, war, warfare, secret war, blitzkrieg, combat, soldiers, prison, interrogation, torture, disguise, subterfuge, deception, Louis Zamperini, Corrie ten Boom, Anne Frank, Bodie Thoene, Brock Thoene, Tricia Goyer, Don Brown, Sarah Sundin, Stephen Ambrose, Unbroken, The Imitation Game, The Hiding Place, Diary of Anne Frank, Alan Turing,



Sons of Valor

Author : Brian Andrews

Publisher : Blackstone Publishing

Page : 358 pages

File Size : 26,86 MB

Release : 2021-06-08

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 1094093580

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Book Description

From New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling authors Andrews & Wilson “Want a look into the shadowy world of US special operations? Sons of Valor puts you on the front lines. Nobody does action like Andrews & Wilson!”—Jack Carr, Navy SEAL sniper and New York Times bestselling author of The Devil’s Hand A new generation of elite American warriors faces off against an enemy unlike any other Sons of valor ... Navy SEAL Keith “Chunk” Redman has been one of the military’s top doorkickers since the day he pinned on his trident: loyal, single-minded, lethal. Tasked to lead a new, covert team of Tier One SEALs—the most elite special operators in the world—Chunk can no longer simply rely on the status quo. To safeguard America, he needs help to stay a step ahead of its adversaries. Brilliant at spotting patterns in the data that others miss, ex–CIA analyst Whitney Watts sees evidence of a troubling link between illicit Chinese arms sales and an attack on a US military convoy in Afghanistan. If she’s right, it would portend not only massive casualties, but a devastating threat to global stability. Sons of war ... From the ashes of a never-ending war, a new generation of terrorists has arisen: sophisticated, tech-savvy, and hiding in plain sight among America’s allies. Battered by the Taliban and by the West, they call themselves al Qadr—Power and Destiny—and they’re determined to wrest back control of their homeland. Armed with a powerful combat drone, they can strike with deadly precision at US forces in the region—but their ambitions reach far, far beyond that. A new legacy ... The new Tier One’s first mission will require them to not only prove themselves, but to stop an enemy who’s using military tactics against them. Chunk and his team aren’t just the tip of the spear; they’re America’s first, last, and best counterterrorism defense. And they couldn’t have arrived at a more urgent—and perilous—time.‘’Want a look into the shadowy world of US special operations? Sons of Valor puts you on the front lines. Nobody does action like Andrews & Wilson!'’—Jack Carr, Navy SEAL sniper and New York Times bestselling author of The Devil’s Hand