Combat Survival-Life Stories from a Purple Heart

Combat Survival-Life Stories from a Purple Heart
Author: George P. Hutchings
Publisher: Amerisearch Incorporated
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2005-10
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780975345597

Marine Sergeant George P. Hutchings landed in Vietnam in 1967. Fighting near the northern Province of Quan Tri, he was deployed on hundreds of combat missions, even the dreaded nighttime "Scorpion" maneuvers. A riveting survival story, written in his matter-of-fact "in your face" style - from his entire battalion being ambushed and nearly all killed in the jungles of Medina, October 12, 1967, to his "mooning" the North Vietnamese as they shelled him on his way to the outhouse, you will not put this book down. Operation Ford, north of Phue Pi, March 18, 1968; George was caught in crossfire and shot three times in the hip with an AK-47. Acting dead as a Vietcong stuck him with a bayonet, George shot him in the head. Medi-vacced out, George was awarded the Purple Heart. Follow George's journey from a dysfunctional youth, to seeing his friends blown to pieces in the muddy battlefields of Southeast Asia, to his difficult readjustment to civilian life. His heart bare, George shares how he fell in love and after years of searching, discovered his purpose in life, which led him to his present day international projects delivering much needed medical supplies to countries in Africa. Perhaps his greatest survival skill is to never let situations get him demoralized.

Beyond Survival

Beyond Survival
Author: Gerald Coffee
Publisher: AudioInk Publishing
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2013-10-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1613395159

When life loses its meaning, when suddenly the world is turned upside down, when there's nothing left that resembles life as we've known it, where do we find the strength and sustenance to go on? For naval aviator Jerry Coffee and others who were held as prisoners of war in North Vietnam, there was only one choice: to go within. Beyond Survival is a journey into the invincible human spirit that unites heart and mind in a compelling and unforgettable experience. Drawing from his seven years as a POW, Captain Coffee provides timeless lessons that apply to the physical, emotional, and ethical challenges of everyday life. Proving that leadership and creativity are possible in difficult and uncertain circumstances, Captain Coffee offers a message we can draw on in any trying situation. His story demonstrates that conviction must come from within, and in telling that story he touches the place inside of us where growth begins. Beyond Survival is a positive statement about love and commitment in the midst of war and division. It contrasts the cold reality of war, degradation, and torture with the warmth of human connections, inner serenity, and kinship with all of life. It poignantly illustrates that to be stripped of everything that is familiar and by which we identify ourselves leaves us with only what unites us - our human identity. It conveys truths about relationships at every level - with ourselves, with others, with our country, and with our God. Without inflaming the wounds inflicted by America's involvement in Vietnam, Beyond Survival explores an issue at the heart of every free society: the willingness of ordinary individuals to maintain a passion for freedom so compelling that adversity strengthens rather than weakens personal resolve in the worst of circumstances. Through Gerald Coffee's story you will discover the universal principles of survival and triumph that empower anyone to overcome adversity.

Life After Death

Life After Death
Author: Brad C. Fite
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2015-06-18
Genre:
ISBN: 9781514167069

In July 2010, while he was conducting a combat patrol in Afghanistan, a roadside bomb detonated directly beneath Brad Fite, causing catastrophic injuries that warranted him the Purple Heart. His physical array of injuries would heal, but the invisible wounds would haunt him for years. While recovering in multiple hospitals, Brad's misfortunate fame began to take its toll in the form of PTSD. With the raw authenticity he is known for, Brad shares his story of survival.

Purple Hearts

Purple Hearts
Author: Nina Auguste Berman
Publisher: Trolley Press
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2004
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

A Purple Heart is the token honor given to soldiers for their wounds, it makes, them heroes. It is the title that Nina Berman has given to her photographs of American soldiers gravely wounded in the Iraq war, who have returned home to face life away from the waving flags and heroic send-offs. The images are accompanied by first-person interviews with the soldiers, who discuss their lives, reasons for enlisting, and experience in Iraq. They provide a glimpse into the myths of warfare as glorious spectacle through the minds of young men desperate to believe in the righteousness of their actions. One soldier explains that he always wanted to be a hero. He thought the military would be fun--he would jump out of planes. He never imagined it could be ugly until he saw "Saving Private Ryan. He is now a cripple, doped up all day on pain medications, flat broke, with one kid and another on the way. Another soldier describes how he called a recruiting station after watching an MTV-style commercial for the Army on TV.,An immigrant from Pakistan, he was given his citizenship following his injury. It's a fair trade in his mind: a leg for an American passport.

Sometimes We Fall As Boys But Rise As Men

Sometimes We Fall As Boys But Rise As Men
Author: Thomas III Green
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2009-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1440178801

On April 24, 2004, Thomas Green III was driving a military truck down a dusty road in Iraq when an explosion ripped the wheel out of his hands. The injuries he sustained as a result of this attack changed his life forever. He joined the U.S. Army in 2001 and was deployed to Iraq in February 2004. Serving in Iraq and spending thirteen months in an Army hospital gave him a good look at war. Everybody knows the traditional story: soldiers leave home, get shot, and even die. But few know about the psychological effects of war. Whatever happened to him, he stood up again on his own two feet. At Walter Reed Army Medical Center, surrounded by other injured soldiers, he realized the importance of uplifting and inspiring each other. Sharing their stories helped get them through trying times. He felt that God wanted him to share his testimony, telling how He got him through this ordeal and changed his life forever. He commends Him for giving him the strength to put his story together. He even thanks Him for the pain, because it taught him how to lean on God.

Unbreakable Hearts: A True, Heart-wrenching Story About Victory...Forfeited!

Unbreakable Hearts: A True, Heart-wrenching Story About Victory...Forfeited!
Author: Earl Dusty Trimmer
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
Total Pages: 588
Release: 2019-05-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 145756856X

Earl “Dusty” Trimmer relates with both skill and personal experience events surrounding our most forgetable and misunderstood war in America’s history. He brings it all home with his down-to-earth style and considerable knowledge. In Unbreakable Hearts, Dusty dives into the Vietnamese history and culture and skillfully brings the reader into understanding our Vietnamese enemy’s amazing resolve. He brilliantly explains the evolution of our Vietnamese enemy over hundreds of years of invasions and wars. Always defending their country to remain free became an art. In Chapter 7, Dusty describes the Vietnamese women fighters as “Hellcats.” My own experience with the formidable Vietnamese Viet Cong women’s skills and expertise closely mirrors Dusty’s. Hooch girls could plant booby traps in a GI’s hooch with a skill and savvy they were forced to learn during decades of on-the-job training in continuous wars with unwelcomed invaders. My own Military Police experience after leaving the infantry revealed these incidents vividly. In later chapters, Dusty moves into our own veterans’ profound resolve and toughness. North Vietnam’s famed General Giap called us “an honorable enemy.” One could suggest from this writing that our enemy taught us well. We did things in the Vietnam War the average person would have to go to the movies to believe. After reading Trimmer’s descriptions, I must conclude that indeed this book could be one for the movie industry. Dusty Trimmer brings to life our days and nights living and fighting in these foreboding jungle warfare conditions. After reading this fine work and reflecting on my own experiences, I cut away a little more of the pain. Pride swells for having served with all of these wonderful veterans of the Vietnam War. Pain for our terrible losses. For myself, these experiences culminated in wisdom I would otherwise have failed to achieve. God bless Dusty for telling our story. Forward march, Brothers!

Walk in My Combat Boots

Walk in My Combat Boots
Author: James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2021-02-08
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0316429104

Discover “the stories America needs to hear” (Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (Ret.)) with these moving and powerful recollections of war, told by the men and women who lived them. Walk in my Combat Boots is a powerful collection crafted from hundreds of original interviews by James Patterson, the world’s #1 bestselling writer, and First Sergeant US Army (Ret.) Matt Eversmann, part of the Ranger unit portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down. These are the brutally honest stories usually only shared amongst comrades in arms. Here, in the voices of the men and women who’ve fought overseas from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, is a rare eye-opening look into what wearing the uniform, fighting in combat, losing friends and coming home is really like. Readers who next thank a military member for their service will finally have a true understanding of what that thanks is for.

With a Black Platoon in Combat

With a Black Platoon in Combat
Author: Lyle Rishell
Publisher: Williams-Ford Texas A&M Univer
Total Pages: 200
Release: 1993
Genre: History
ISBN:

Men. The 24th Infantry Regiment has received bad press from many historians of the Korean conflict, who claim that the black soldiers and noncommissioned officers were undisciplined and even cowardly in battle. Rishell's moving account, based on his own experiences, describes his men as no better or worse than any other infantrymen in the first year in Korea. His troops fought well from July, 1950, to May, 1951, in nearly constant front-line action against the North.