Memorial Day 2014

Powerful first-person accounts of war, in honor of all those who serve their country:

 

Lone Survivor
by Marcus Luttrell, with Patrick Robinson

On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive. This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history

 

 

Code Name Pauline
by Pearl Witherington Cornioley with Hervé Larroque

Parachuted into France in 1943 to be a courier for a resistance group in Nazi-occupied France, 29-year-old Pearl Witherington lead more than 3,500 French guerrilla warriors, harassing and sabotaging the enemy until late in 1944 when France was liberated.

 

 

1861: The Civil War Awakening
by Adam Goodheart

Presents a gripping and original account of how the Civil War began, introducing a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes – among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer’s wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become president.

 

 

Double Victory
by Cheryl Mullenbach

A comprehensive view of the efforts of African American women who integrated the workforce in both civilian and military positions during World War II, told through personal accounts of women who worked on highways, as war correspondents, and as entertainers and political activists.

 

 

Five Lieutenants
by James Carl Nelson

Documents the stories of five young Harvard students who met different fates while serving in World War I, drawing on uncensored letters and memoirs to illuminate the impact of the conflict on the educated class of soldiers.

 

 

 

The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows
by Brian Castner

Castner served as an air force officer in Saudi Arabia in 2001, and Iraq in 2005 and 2006, where he earned a Bronze Star. He then trained military Explosive Ordnance Disposal units in tactical bomb procedures. Castner’s chilling account of those years is, he feels, “as correct as a story can be from someone with blast-induced memory lapses.” Throughout, he splices in scenes of the aftermath – his return to his wife and family in the U.S., where he is told he has post-traumatic stress disorder.

 

 

Code Talker
by Chester Nez with Judith Schiess Avila

Nez’s fascinating memoir details his experience as one of the original 29 “code talkers,” a group of Native American soldiers who kept U.S. transmissions safe from the Japanese during WWII, using a code developed using Navajo, an entirely spoken language.

 

 

Women Heroes of World War II
by Kathryn J. Atwood

Young readers will meet many courageous women and girls who risked their lives to help defeat the Nazis. Noor Inayat Khan was the first female radio operator sent into occupied France and transferred crucial messages. Johtje Vos, a Dutch housewife, hid Jews in her home and repeatedly outsmarted the Gestapo. Law student Hannie Schaft became involved in the most dangerous resistance work – sabotage, weapons transference, and assassinations.

 

 

American Warrior
by Gary O’Neal with David Fisher

The epic story of one of America’s greatest soldiers, Ranger Hall of Fame member Gary O’Neal, who served his country for forty years. From his first tour in Vietnam at seventeen to fighting in both Gulf wars, O’Neal was nothing less than a super soldier.

 

 

 

You are Not Forgotten
by Bryan Bender

An inspiring and epic tale of loss and redemption about two American servicemen: a Marine Corps pilot who was shot down in WWII and the modern-day soldier determined to bring home his remains six decades later.

 

 

 

From Baghdad, with Love: a Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava
by Jay Kopelman with Melinda Roth

A tale of Kopelman’s efforts to safely transport Lava, the stray dog his Marine unit found in the wreckage of Fallujah, back to the U.S. The author’s qualms about keeping the dog (in violation of military orders) highlight his efforts to repress guilt over working so hard to save a dog amid so much human suffering.