Racing Back to Vietnam

Racing Back to Vietnam
Author: John Pendergrass
Publisher: Hatherleigh Press
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2017-10-24
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1578267005

2018 GOLD MEDAL WINNER (MILITARY WRITERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA) This award-winning Vietnam War memoir from an Air Force flight surgeon is “a superb, first-hand account of combat flying” (Dan Hampton, New York Times–bestselling author of Viper Pilot) In 1971, United States Air Force flight surgeon John Pendergrass spent much of his time in the backseat of an F-4 Phantom, racing across the skies of Vietnam. Forty-five years later, he boards an altogether different type of aircraft and heads back to Vietnam for an altogether different kind of race—an IRONMAN® triathlon. A veteran of IRONMAN triathlons on six continents, Racing Back to Vietnam follows John’s year in combat and his return to Vietnam, revisiting a country that, for him, is bound up in history, memory and emotion. A memoir of war as seen from the skies and a reflection on life’s high adventure, John tries to reconcile the Vietnam he saw from the backseat of a fighter jet with today’s modern Vietnam. Thought-provoking, heartfelt and gripping, Racing Back to Vietnam is one man’s trip back through time on a journey of rediscovery.

Guns Up!

Guns Up!
Author: Johnnie Clark
Publisher: Presidio Press
Total Pages: 382
Release: 2002-01-02
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0345450264

THIS GUT-WRENCHING FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF THE WAR IS A CLASSIC IN THE ANNALS OF VIETNAM LITERATURE. "Guns up!" was the battle cry that sent machine gunners racing forward with their M60s to mow down the enemy, hoping that this wasn't the day they would meet their deaths. Marine Johnnie Clark heard that the life expectancy of a machine gunner in Vietnam was seven to ten seconds after a firefight began. Johnnie was only eighteen when he got there, at the height of the bloody Tet Offensive at Hue, and he quickly realized the grim statistic held a chilling truth. The Marines who fought and bled and died were ordinary men, many still teenagers, but the selfless bravery they showed day after day in a nightmarish jungle war made them true heroes. This new edition of Guns Up!, filled with photographs and updated information about those harrowing battles, also contains the real names of these extraordinary warriors and details of their lives after the war. The book's continuing success is a tribute to the raw courage and sacrifice of the United States Marines.

Fighter 'Gator

Fighter 'Gator
Author: Lt John E. Norvell
Publisher: Bookbaby
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2021-11-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781098397333

This story is about Lt Colonel John E. Norvell's quest to fly and David Garbe's work to restore the shell of F-4D 0720. It first focuses on Norvell's flight training, selection to be a backseater in the F-4, time in combat in Thailand, and F-4 flying over Alaska, providing "Top Cover for America." Then, the appendix covers Garbe's work to find a bird, get the parts, and rebuild the front cockpit area. It is a story of duty and dedication. It covers how the crews trained to fly the Phantom, the specialized survival schools they attended, their entrance in combat, and the toll it took on them. Lt Colonel John E. Norvell tells the story from the perspective of an F-4 backseater or GIB. It is a story of his comrades and the stress he felt from a year-long separation from his wife. He describes the daily combat and how it affected him. He stresses the professionalism and dedication of the aircrews who flew the hostile skies of South East Asia. When the air war ends, he tells of the boredom and frustrations of warriors without a war. Then his story moves to Alaska, where he attends arctic survival school and is stationed at remote sites to provide "Top Cover" alert guarding North America against Soviet aircraft incursions. Alaska is a very different type of flying, and it is clear that he enjoys all that Alaska has to offer. Finally, he discusses the role that his mentor Major Theodore J. Shorack played in his life. Shorack was lost while on a rescue mission over North Vietnam. Norvell considers him to be a personification of the three cardinal principles of the military: Duty, Honor, County. In the end, Norvell looks at the past nearly 50 years and tells what it meant to him to fly and be a military officer.

Selma to Saigon

Selma to Saigon
Author: Daniel S. Lucks
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2014-03-19
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0813145090

In Selma to Saigon Daniel S. Lucks explores the impact of the Vietnam War on the national civil rights movement. Through detailed research and a powerful narrative, Lucks illuminates the effects of the Vietnam War on leaders such as Whitney Young Jr., Stokely Carmichael, Roy Wilkins, Bayard Rustin, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as lesser-known Americans in the movement who faced the threat of the military draft as well as racial discrimination and violence.

Back to the Future: Race Through Time

Back to the Future: Race Through Time
Author: Marc Sumerak
Publisher: Insight Editions
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-05-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781683835486

Dash through Hill Valley history with this miniature collectible DeLorean! Experience beloved moments from the Back to the Future trilogy with this whimsically illustrated, interactive board book and toy DeLorean for fans of all ages. Time travelers can wind their way through the pages of history, visiting familiar spots in this quaint town during the Old West, 1955, and the far, distant future of 2015. Just wind up the DeLorean and--Great Scott!--watch it go! From the future home of Lyon Estates to the broken clock tower in the center of town, follow along as the DeLorean visits all the hot spots from the hit movie series. Bursting with fun facts and trivia about the town of Hill Valley, Back to the Future: Race Through Time is both an informative blast from the past and a fun ride into the future.

Blackhorse Riders

Blackhorse Riders
Author: Philip Keith
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2012-02-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1429940956

Winner of the 2013 Silver Medal in History from the Military Writer's Society of America Finalist, 2013 Colby Award Winner of the 2012 USA Best Book Award for Military History Philip Keith's Blackhorse Riders is the incredible true story of a brave military unit in Vietnam that risked everything to rescue an outnumbered troop under heavy fire—and the thirty-nine-year odyssey to recognize their bravery. Deep in the jungles of Vietnam, Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry, the famed Blackhorse Regiment, was a specialized cavalry outfit equipped with tanks and armored assault vehicles. On the morning of March 26, 1970, they began hearing radio calls from an infantry unit four kilometers away that had stumbled into a hidden North Vietnamese Army stronghold. Outnumbered at least six to one, the ninety-man American company was quickly surrounded, pinned down, and fighting for its existence. Helicopters could not penetrate the dense jungle, and artillery and air support could not be targeted effectively. The company was fated to be worn down and eventually all killed or captured. Overhearing the calls for help on his radio, Captain John Poindexter, Alpha Troop's twenty-five-year-old commander, realized that his outfit was the only hope for the trapped company. It just might be possible that they could "bust" enough jungle by nightfall to reach them. Not making the attempt was deemed unacceptable, so he ordered his men to "saddle up." With the courage and determination that makes legends out of ordinary men, they effected a daring rescue and fought a pitched battle—at considerable cost. Many brave deeds were done that day and Captain Poindexter tried to make sure his men were recognized for their actions. Thirty years later Poindexter was made aware that his award recommendations and even the records of the battle had somehow gone missing. Thus began the second phase of this remarkable story: a "battle" to ensure that his brave men's accomplishments would never be forgotten again. The full circle was completed when President Obama stepped to the podium on October 20, 2009, to award the Alpha Troop with the Presidential Unit Citation: the highest combat award that can be given to a military unit.

Free-Fire Zone (Vietnam #3)

Free-Fire Zone (Vietnam #3)
Author: Chris Lynch
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2012-11-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0545470056

Four best friends. Four ways to serve their country. Morris, Rudi, Ivan, and Beck are best friends for life. So when one of the teens is drafted into the Vietnam War, the others sign up, too. Although they each serve in a different branch, they are fighting the war together -- and they promise to do all they can to come home together.Rudi is perhaps the most concerned about whether or not he'll be able to keep that promise. After all -- and he'd be the first to admit this -- he's not the most capable guy. He's not smart like Beck, or brave like Ivan. He lacks the strength of Morris's moral convictions.But once Rudi is pulled kicking and screaming into the Marines, he at last finds something he's good at: following orders. Will that be enough to keep him alive? And if he does survive the war, will his best friends even recognize him on the other side?

Just Another Day in Vietnam

Just Another Day in Vietnam
Author: Keith M. Nightingale
Publisher: Casemate
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2019-10-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1612007864

This military memoir examines one of the most vicious and tragically forgotten battles of the Vietnam War from a variety of perspectives. In June of 1967, the Viet Cong sought to isolate and destroy an elite South Vietnamese unit as part of a new offensive strategy. They sent a voluntary POW as an “informant” to dupe the 52nd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion into taking a dangerous position in the III Corps sector of South Vietnam. In the midst of an ambush, the members of the 52nd Ranger Battalion conducted themselves with great skill and valor. As one of those men, Keith Nightingale is uniquely suited to relate the events of that day. Based on firsthand experience as well as After Action Reports from a variety of sources, Just Another Day in Vietnam explores multiple perspectives, affording equal weight to ally and enemy alike. Nightingale offers rare insight into the often misunderstood role of the elite Vietnamese Ranger forces; the intelligence acquired from captured Rangers; and a rare eyewitness account to this fateful yet underexamined Vietnam battle.

Most Dangerous

Most Dangerous
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2015-09-22
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 159643953X

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War is New York Times bestselling author Steve Sheinkin's award-winning nonfiction account of an ordinary man who wielded the most dangerous weapon: the truth. “Easily the best study of the Vietnam War available for teen readers.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award winner A National Book Award finalist A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon book A Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature finalist Selected for the Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People List In 1964, Daniel Ellsberg was a U.S. government analyst, helping to plan a war in Vietnam. It was the height of the Cold War, and the government would do anything to stop the spread of communism—with or without the consent of the American people. As the fighting in Vietnam escalated, Ellsberg turned against the war. He had access a top-secret government report known as the Pentagon Papers, and he knew it could blow the lid off of years of government lies. But did he have the right to expose decades of presidential secrets? And what would happen to him if he did it? A lively book that interrogates the meanings of patriotism, freedom, and integrity, the National Book Award finalist Most Dangerous further establishes Steve Sheinkin—author of Newbery Honor book Bomb as a leader in children's nonfiction. This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum. “Gripping.”—New York Times Book Review “A master of fast-paced histories...[this] is Sheinkin’s most compelling one yet. ”—Washington Post Also by Steve Sheinkin: Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights Which Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About Westward Expansion King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the Civil War Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America

The Road Home

The Road Home
Author: Ellen Emerson White
Publisher: Point
Total Pages: 469
Release: 1997-11-01
Genre: Depression (Psychology)
ISBN: 9780590467384

Rebecca, a young nurse stationed in Vietnam during the war, must come to grips with her wartime experiences once she returns home to the United States.