Showing results for "The History of History" in Military Families

After Eric Davis spent over 16 years in the military, including a decade in the SEAL teams, his family was more than used to his absence on deployments and secret missions that could obscure his whereabouts for months at a time. Without a father figure in his own life since the age of 15, Eric was desperate to maintain the bonds he'd fought so hard to forge when his children were young - particularly with his son, Jason, because he knew how difficult it was to face the challenge of becoming a man on one's own.

Unbreakable Bonds tells 10 touching stories of mothers who spent years aiding the recovery of their children, US soldiers and Marines who suffered severe injuries during the War on Terror. The survival of these wounded warriors is a testament not only to the extraordinary efforts of military medical personnel and their own inner fortitude, but also to their mothers.

The hallmarks of America’s War on Terror have been repeated long deployments and a high percentage of troops returning with psychological problems. Family members of combat veterans are at a higher risk of potentially lethal domestic violence than almost any other demographic; it’s estimated that one in four children of active-duty service members has symptoms of depression; and nearly one million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan require increased care due to physical or psychological trauma.

While their husbands, brothers and sweethearts fought in Europe and their mothers, sisters and friends kept the home fires burning, for the first time, a group of remarkable women took to the skies. They weren't allowed into combat but risked their lives in bad weather and without radios to bring our boys the aircraft they so vitally needed. Employed by the Air Transport Auxiliary, these women were known as 'attagirls'. They proved that women, too, could master Spitfires, Mosquitoes and Hawker Hurricanes, forging a new path in aviation.

From Beau Wise and Tom Sileo comes Three Wise Men, an incredible memoir of family, service, and sacrifice by a marine who lost both his brothers in combat - becoming the only "sole survivor" during the war in Afghanistan.

Throughout the hardest times in history, love has endured the unthinkable. Often laced with tragedy and hardship, there have been few times more testing than World War II, when couples were forced to be miles apart, reliant on letters to communicate, and often not knowing for weeks whether their sweetheart was even alive.

While On Hallowed Ground chronicled the history of the cemetery, Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery is the powerful contemporary biography of a five-acre plot where many of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan have been laid to rest alongside service members from earlier wars.

The events of World War 2 are often associated with male endeavor, particularly in war books. However, extraordinarily brave and courageous women not only assisted their male counterparts, but played key roles that had ultimately contributed to the success of winning the war. This book provides a platform on which to remember those fearless, forgotten WW2 women, whose stories deserve to be told. Who were these courageous women who laid their lives on the line in WW2 history?

In the wake of her mother's death, Jessica Pearce Rotondi uncovers boxes of letters, declassified CIA reports, and newspaper clippings that bring to light a family ghost: her uncle Jack, who disappeared during the CIA-led "Secret War" in Laos in 1972. The letters lead her across Southeast Asia in search of the truth that has eluded her family for decades. On the night of March 29, 1972, Jack's plane vanishes over the mountains bordering Vietnam. The crash eerily echoes the one Jack's father, Ed Pearce, survived in World War II, when Ed parachuted out of the plane before being captured.

The experience of the Vietnam War is almost impossible to grasp - the fear, smell, pain, and camaraderie. Boys were turned into men, men were transformed into soldiers, and then from soldiers to warriors. These warriors had wives who shared in their transformations. Some marriages were strengthened, while for others men and their families were left emotionally and spiritually battered. Focusing in on a singular company’s experience of war and its eventual homecoming, Andrew Wiest discusses the shared experience of combat and both the darkness and resiliency of war’s aftermath.

The Emmy award-winning news anchor of Outnumbered Overtime with Harris Faulkner and co-host of the talk show Outnumbered shares the lessons she learned growing up in a military family paying homage to the military ideals that shaped her and showing how everyone can benefit from bringing the wisdom of military service into their lives. Born into a military family, Harris Faulkner revered her father, a decorated career officer who served three tours of duty in Vietnam and raised his children with the values and ideals of the US military.

In this celebration of faith and freedom, Fox News Co-Host Emily Compagno shares first person accounts that show the profound role belief in God has played in the lives of U.S. military servicemembers as they served in combat from World War I to today—commemorating the courage, camaraderie, spirit, and sacrifice of America’s heroes.

When Ron Zaleski returned home from his service to the Marine Corps in 1972, he was plagued by feelings of anger and guilt. As an act of penance, in 2006 he walked barefoot across the Appalachian Trail, where he learned self-forgiveness, empathy, and found a purpose greater than himself. In 2010, he upped the stakes and walked barefoot from Concord, MA to Santa Monica, CA. He traversed over 3,400 miles without shoes, all the while carrying a sign that read "18 Vets a Day Commit Suicide!" and a petition for military personnel to receive mandatory counseling.

It's clear that we have not honored the promise we make to veterans: that we as a country will help them after they've served and sacrificed. And while there are many books by and for veterans, only a small selection of those address the transition to civilian life, and none are a truly complete reference for stepping out of service and back into normal life. Warrior to Civilian covers a range of topics, from the practical—finding a job, reintegrating into family life—to the more challenging topics, like dealing with loss, and finding new purpose in life.

This book argues that the elements that contribute to healing war trauma - including safety, connection, community, dialogue, mutual respect, diversity, and compassion - can help build a stronger nation. But this message comes with a warning and a challenge not just for caregivers, veterans service organizations, governmental departments, Congress, and the White House, but for all Americans. War creates incalculable suffering - not only among those on the front lines, but also among those left behind.

Filled with delicious, original cookie recipes, 52 Weeks of Cookies recounts a mom's unique method of coping during her son's deployment. With plenty of sugar cookies but no sugarcoating, 52 Weeks of Cookies is an honest, uplifting story of family love during a crisis, with all the fear, grief, laughter, gratitude, and joy that comes with it.

This is a story of pain, loss, and hope. Our son was killed on foreign soil, and in an instant our world was forever changed. Just as yours would be. Chronicling the life of only one of the currently 7,000 Gold Star families from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, When Our Blue Star Turned Gold takes the listener from the early morning hours of his final and fatal battle to the ongoing journey of staff Sgt. Bryan Burgess’ family.

In an attention-grabbing story, author Karl P. Monger shares his experiences as a United States Army officer, including the transition trials he experienced when he left the Army and sought to find purpose in civilian life. Despite government programs and 40,000 nonprofits dedicated to veterans, transition from the military remains a veteran’s greatest challenge. Monger highlights a common sense approach for veterans to gain control over their transition and shows how communities can help them achieve lives of hope and purpose.

World War Two shaped Matt Matthews even though he was born 20 years after it ended. As a kid, he was afraid he’d have to do what his father did in the 106th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge. As a young adult, he was afraid he wouldn’t. If his father’s silence about war and being a POW said it all, what did it say? That silence and Matthews’ efforts to fill in the blanks molded his evolving definition of manhood and efforts to influence and love his own three sons.

If America will survive and thrive in the future, we need our veterans to become the leaders and entrepreneurs who will rebuild our country. Veterans: Rebuild America offers a pathway for veterans who want to use their experiences and existing skills to thrive, find health, wealth, and peace of mind in the new economy.