The Military Reading List
For readers interested in military history or titles related to the armed forces, there are many remarkable choices available in bookstores. The purpose of this section of our website is to provide background information on noteworthy and interesting books in this category that may have missed the reader's attention.
All books are available through local bookstores (Note ISBN Numbers) or online booksellers. Special ordering circumstances are noted.
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Lost Boys: A Parochial Novel of the Vietnam Generation
by Tim Potter
Paperback Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Pub. Date: January 2008
ISBN-13: 9781425744830
400pp |
Book Description
The Lost Boys: A Parochial Novel of the Vietnam Generation deals with a group of Vietnam Veterans who enter / return to college after leaving the service - and the problems they encounter in attempting to readjust to civilian life. Set, primarily, in Southern California from the late 1960s to mid-70s, the novel follows the path of the traditional (mythological) hero's journey - as seen from the viewpoints of ten "Lost Boys." Exhaustively researched, Lost Boys is an emotional odyssey through one of the most dramatic and painful periods in America's recent past.
About the Author
Tim Potter was born and raised in Long Beach, California, and received a Bachelor’s Degree in History from California State University, Long Beach. As both a regular and substitute teacher, he has taught History and English in public and private schools in Los Angeles County for over twenty years. Mr. Potter has one previous publication to his credit, a poetry chapbook entitled Take a Shot at the Monster: Poems for Downtrodden Drunks, the Terminally Romantic, Irish-Americans, and Other Disillusioned Idealists (Bear House, ©1998). He is an honorably discharged veteran of the U. S. Army. Tim Potter is the cousin of Post Advocate, Dominic Stimola
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Dear Donna, It's Only 45 Hours from Bien Hoa
by Douglas Neralich
- Hardcover: Pages
- Publisher: Authorhouse (June 2002)
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 0759691185
- Hardcover ISBN: 0759691193
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Book Description
“Dear Donna, It's only 45 Hours from Bien Hoa by Douglas Neralich is the gut-wrenching personal account of his year in Vietnam. An elementary school teacher turned Army medic, Douglas was only twenty-two when called to serve his country as part of the 36th Engineer Battalion, stationed at Vinh Long, in Vietnam in 1970. The vignettes presented are gripping and horrifying, sometimes gentle, sometimes cruel, and taken altogether form an unforgettable picture of the war in this engaging memoir. Enhanced with occasional pencil sketches, Dear Donna It's only 45 Hours from Bien Hoa is a welcome and recommended contribution to Vietnam Military History collections and reading lists.” Midwest Review of Books
"Douglas Neralich's book is very compelling, often I would find myself forgetting that I was reading a book about the Vietnam War. It took the emphasis off the war and put it back onto the soldiers, the men who had real lives, real jobs, real families, and gave it all up to protect our great country." Writer's Digest
About the Author
Doug is member of Franklin Lakes VFW Post 5702. He is a retired teacher and is active in Post Activities. His military resume includes the Vietnam Service Medal, The Vietnam Campaign Medal, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, A Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Medal, First Class, A Good Conduct Medal, and a Bronze Star. |
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A Corpsman's Legacy
By Stephanie Hanson
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Gary Norman Young
Corpsman, US Navy
Portland, Oregon
11/3/48 to 2/7/69
The Wall: Panel 33W - Row 083
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Adopted at birth, Stephanie Hanson begins a search for her biological parents and learns her father, Gary Norman Young, was killed in the Vietnam War before she was born. To unravel the mystery of his death, she hears first-hand from other veterans of her father's world of courage and bravery as a helicopter crewmember in 1969. She learns of the remarkable relationship that exists between Marines and their Navy Corpsmen, and realizes she has now inherited the honor and respect given to her father.
After years of perseverance, Stephanie finally obtains the medals and honors her father earned for his sacrifice and service, through the help of veterans, the Marine Corps Commandant and a United States Senator. During her journey, she locates the family members of the men who died with her father and helps other veterans and children connect with each other. Embraced by thousands of veterans, she discovers the greatest gift her father left her is the legacy of healing. “Read this book and learn of a daughter's love and commitment to honor her father, who gave his last full measure of devotion to his country in a far off land long ago.”
Senator John McCain
Available through local bookstores or this website: http://www.acorpsmanslegacy.com/
For Autographed Copies, please contact Stephanie directly at corpsmankid@hotmail.com |
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Where Valor Rests:
Arlington National Cemetery
By Rick Atkinson
- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: National Geographic (May 15, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1426200897
- ISBN-13: 978-1426200892
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Book Description
Arlington National Cemetery spreads across the rolling hills west of the Potomac, a serene and reverent sanctuary for the presidents, soldiers, and heroes—famous and unsung alike—who lie in eternal rest among its green lawns and quiet glades, a roster dating back to America's birth and including many of the foremost names in our history. A national monument in the truest sense, Arlington's solemn beauty embraces a brave legacy—a heritage remembered and renewed every day as the military buries its own.
Bittersweet, breath-taking, sometimes heart-wrenching, always deeply respectful, this commemorative book guides readers gently over tree-lined slopes to share the ceremonies observed throughout the year, from the traditional wreath-laying on Memorial Day, which enshrines centuries of courage with a formality at once austere and profoundly emotional, to the moving graveside services that honor individual men and women who served our country. Captured in stunning color by a select group of gifted photographers, 220 unforgettable images create a portrait as poignant as it is proud.
Archival photographs also trace the history of the cemetery from the early National Historic Monument, "Arlington House," to the eternal flame at the Kennedy grave to sections for the lost astronauts and victims of the 9/11 Pentagon attack. With an Introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Atkinson, this lovely volume is both a fitting tribute and a stirring reminder of the values we Americans hold dear.
About the Author
Rick Atkinson is the best-selling author of The Long Gray Line, a narrative account of West Point's class of 1966; Crusade, a history of the Persian Gulf War, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning An Army at Dawn. His other awards include two more Pulitzers, the Livingston Award for international reporting, the John Hancock Award for Excellence; the George Polk Award for national reporting, and a PEN special citation for non-fiction. |
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One Bullet Away
by Nathaniel Fick
- Hardcover: 372 pages
- Publisher: Mariner Books(September 7, 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0618773436
- ISBN-13: 978-0618773435
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Book Description
If the Marines are "the few, the proud," Recon Marines are the fewest and the proudest. Fick's career begins with a hellish summer at Quantico, after his junior year at Dartmouth. He leads a platoon in Afghanistan just after 9/11, and advances to the pinnacle -- Recon -- two years later, on the eve of war with Iraq. His vast skill set puts him in front of the front lines, leading twenty-two Marines into the deadliest conflict since Vietnam. He vows to bring all his men home safely, and to do so he'll need more than his top-flight education.
Fick unveils the process that makes Marine officers such legendary leaders and shares his hard-won insights into the differences between military ideals and military practice, which can mock those ideals. In this deeply thoughtful account of what it's like to fight on today's frontlines, Fick reveals the crushing pressure on young leaders in combat. Split-second decisions might have national consequences, or horrible immediate repercussions, but hesitation isn't an option. One Bullet Away never shrinks from blunt truths, but it is an ultimately inspiring account of mastering the art of war .
About the Author
Nathaniel Fick is an MBA candidate at the Harvard Business School, and author of the New York Times bestseller, One Bullet Away.
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps after graduating with high honors from Dartmouth College in 1999.
Fick led his infantry platoon in Afghanistan and Pakistan only weeks after the 9/11 attacks, and later led a Marine Recon platoon during the earliest months of the war in Iraq.
He left the Marines as a captain in 2004, and earned a master's degree in International Security Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is a member of the Board of Visitors at the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth, and served as a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington.
Fick's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and many other publications.
Nate Fick is the son of Post 5702 Advocate Dominic Stimola’s cousin. Nate lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. |
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A Walk on the Sidewalk
by David William McCormick
- Hardcover: 244 pages
- Publisher: Authorhouse (January 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1403365547
- ISBN-13: 978-1403365545
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Book Description
This is a personal account of David McCormick's time in service in Vietnam where he served as a Command Radio Telephone Operator as a member of Bravo Company 1/27 th Infantry. In Dave's words: “It was my job to communicate all orders given by the Captain, and more importantly, to see to it that they were carried out…The purpose of this book was to give the reader a feel and a sampling of what it was truly like for a boy who was just out of his teens to experience the realities of war and to have survived. In addition and during this period of time in my life, I had come to terms with my own identity. For me, the writing of this book became somewhat of a mission. I wanted to take the reader, if only for a moment, into the hearts, minds and souls of the men who stood beside me during battle.”
About the Author
Dave is a member of Franklin Lakes VFW Post 5702. His military resume includes a Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Air medal for Combat Assaults, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Vietnam Campaign Medal, and on four separate occasions, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for heroism under fire. |
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