My Country, My Life

Author: Ehud Barak
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1466892080
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 586

Book Description
WINNER OF THE 2018 NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD The definitive memoir of one of Israel's most influential soldier-statesmen and one-time Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, with insights into forging peace in the Middle East. In the summer of 2000, the most decorated soldier in Israel's history—Ehud Barak—set himself a challenge as daunting as any he had faced on the battlefield: to secure a final peace with the Palestinians. He would propose two states for two peoples, with a shared capital in Jerusalem. He knew the risks of failure. But he also knew the risks of not trying: letting slip perhaps the last chance for a generation to secure genuine peace. It was a moment of truth. It was one of many in a life intertwined, from the start, with that of Israel. Born on a kibbutz, Barak became commander of Israel's elite special forces, then army Chief of Staff, and ultimately, Prime Minister. My Country, My Life tells the unvarnished story of his—and his country's—first seven decades; of its major successes, but also its setbacks and misjudgments. He offers candid assessments of his fellow Israeli politicians, of the American administrations with which he worked, and of himself. Drawing on his experiences as a military and political leader, he sounds a powerful warning: Israel is at a crossroads, threatened by events beyond its borders and by divisions within. The two-state solution is more urgent than ever, not just for the Palestinians, but for the existential interests of Israel itself. Only by rediscovering the twin pillars on which it was built—military strength and moral purpose—can Israel thrive.

Runway Visions

Author: David Kirk Vaughan
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 9780786462643
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Book Description
In February 1967, Air Force Lieutenant Vaughan arrived at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taiwan to begin 14 months as a C-130 Hercules pilot, airlifting supplies and troops throughout southeast Asia. Feeling well suited, Vaughan had volunteered for the duty, but little had he realized the pressure associated with flying the heavy cargo plane under combat conditions and taking off and landing on the short runways that dotted the Vietnamese countryside. Among his most harrowing duties was the aerial resupply of the Marine base at Khe Sanh during the most intense action of the Tet Offensive. This is the story of an Air Force pilot's progression from inexperienced flyer to veteran crew member and how he came of age under combat conditions.

Paratrooper: My Life with the 101st Airborne Division

Author: Michael B. Kitz-Miller
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
ISBN: 1681396378
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 295

Book Description
Paratrooper is the autobiography of a young man’s time with the famed 101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles.” With not the finances to finish his senior year in college and a looming draft, it leads to his enlisting in the U.S. Army. With thoughts of Officer’s Candidate School, Private Michael B. Kitz-Miller heads for a newly designed Basic Training course for soldiers planning to attend Airborne School. High performance results in Leadership School and Acting Sergeant in Advanced Infantry School. At Airborne School he is a runner-up for Honor Graduate from his original class of 1,000 soldiers. Finally, the new paratrooper boards a bus for Ft. Campbell and the 101st. His first job is as an M-60 machine gunner, scoring expert his first time on the weapons range. Numerous operations follow – Cold Eagle, Swift Strike II, Desert Strike and the surprise Operation Delawar, jumping into Iran in 1964 as part of the U.S. STRIKE Command. All produce commendations and after winning the Division Soldier-of-the-Month competition a promotion to Sergeant. He soon becomes part of the Battalion Mountaineering cadre. The rigors of Recondo School and its incredible 35 percent graduation rate follow, offering a shot at Honor Graduate. Having won Battalion and Brigade competitions, the young paratrooper enters and finds himself a finalist in the Division’s Soldier-of-the-Year competition. Tough career decisions follow. The story ends with Sergeant Kitz-Miller’s opportunity, 50 years later to compare key issues that confronted him as a soldier with those of today. The evaluation of Officers and NCOs, leadership and mentoring are but a few. His final chapters on Just War Theory and current Rules of Engagement provide provocative ideas about how to address our current policies on terrorist states. Above all, it is the story of a very successful Paratrooper that loved the Airborne Infantry.

I Never Liked Those C-130's Anyway

Author: Terry Wilbur Smith
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 1412004071
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Book Description
Your chance to relive a little piece of "The Good Old Days" and find the answers to these burning questions: Which future Coast Guard Captain said "Shit, Mal, let's do a 360 and get out of here." Which Coast Guard astronaut said, when asked to describe his scariest moment, "Flying as Malcolm Smith's co-pilot." Which Coast Guard aviator got the blame for putting training wheels and streamers on the commanding officer's and XO's new bicycles. Which Coast Guard aviator threw up in his glove while flying rather than make a mess in the cockpit. This book brings back some of the funniest moments of the Coast Guard during the time period between the "Old Guard" and the new modern Coast Guard. "For more than two decades, Mal has threatened to write a book to chronicle his many colorful experiences during his Coast Guard aviation career. Mal can spin a tale better than any sailor and his exploits in and out of the cockpit are indeed legendary. But the fact is, the closer he gets to the completion of this life-long dream of his, the more nervous I become. I can't wait to read it!" RADM David W. Kunkel, COAST GUARD AVIATOR #1726 "Malcolm Smith is a master storyteller with a flair for finding humor in everyday activities and recounting his observations with entertaining splendor that leaves you thirsting for another. Since meeting him when I was a teenager in Alaska, I have been absorbed by his colorful renditions and have long awaited this composition. I just hope I'm not the subject in one of his stories." CAPT. E. Darrell Nelson, COMMANDING OFFICER, CGAS KODIAK

C-130 Hercules

Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473863201
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 673

Book Description
“An engaging retrospective on the long-lived and ubiquitous C-130 Hercules tactical airlifter . . . Sweeping in its scope . . . an invaluable reference.” —Aviation History Designed in response to a 1951 requirement, the C-130 Hercules is the most successful military airlifter ever built. Since it first flew in prototype form on August 23, 1954, more than 2,100 have been produced in over eighty different versions. Across its variants, the Hercules serves more than sixty air forces, as well as many civilian cargo operators, in a multiplicity of roles, including air-to-air refueller, gunship, airborne command post, flying hospital, and firefighter. This rugged and easily maintained aircraft entered service in 1956 with the USAF Tactical Air Command. Ten years later, the “Charlie 130” was providing essential logistical support in Vietnam. This period in Southeast Asia was the Hercules’ finest hour. Paradrops, airlift, and evacuation operations were completed around the clock, often at low level, usually under fire and nearly always in bad weather. A generation later, this “Mr. Dependable” was serving with equal distinction in the Gulf War in the role of airlifter, radio-countermeasures, and “psy-ops” platform, gunship and, once again, “block-buster bomber.” The “Herky Bird” or “Fat Albert,” as the C-130 is fondly known, has proved a key component in humanitarian relief operations, as well, in all parts of the world. “Martin’s technical and informative look at their creation and use is absolutely fascinating. An iconic aircraft gets Martin’s VIP treatment in this wonderful book.” —Books Monthly “A history of an aviation great, from the pen of a popular and well-established author of aviation history.” —Firetrench

My First 1,000 Jumps

Author: Norm Heaton
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
ISBN: 1645443973
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 910

Book Description
You are holding the only comprehensive history of the early days of the sport of skydiving yet published. It is the story of not just one skydiver but the story of many, the true pioneers of the sport. Just as important this book includes a complete history of the national organization established for the express purpose of promoting sport parachuting. While this history is restricted to a short fifteen years (1961-1975), those years were the most productive, most far-reaching, and the most exciting for the fledgling idea of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes for the sheer joy of it all, eventually establishing the sport of skydiving as an integral part of the world of aviation sports. This book tells the story of those formative years with details of battles fought to maintain freedom of the skies for all parachutists when government and corporate interests made numerous attempts to severely restrict the right of skydivers to use our nation's airspace. This story is told by a man who dedicated his life to the advancement of the sport, serving for twelve years as the chief executive officer of the national organization for skydivers, the Parachute Club of America / US Parachute Association. The reader will embark on a most exciting journey, a journey not told before, continually laced with personal stories that will touch your heart, make you smile, and occasionally make you laugh. This book contains over 400 photographs and 1,500 names of people from around the world who participated in that wonderful and exhilarating sport called skydiving.

Shadows of a Forgotten Past

Author: Paul French
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1909384364
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Book Description
This all-new work chronicles the experiences of Paul French who, upon leaving the British Army's 21 SAS (V), sought adventure and excitement in C Squadron of the Rhodesian SAS. Upon passing the arduous Rhodesian SAS selection course, Paul was thrown into the maelstrom that was the Rhodesian Bush War. Here he participated in the SAS's infamous raid on Joshua Nkomo and numerous other operations against insurgent / liberation forces. Passing selection for Ron Reid-Daly's elite counterinsurgency specialists, the Selous Scouts, the author took part in 'externals' against FRELIMO and ' attachments' with the Mozambique National Resistance. Paul continued to serve on operations with the Rhodesian SAS until the end of the 'Chimurenga' in 1980. Paul then went on to join the South African Defense Force's elite 6 Reconnaissance Commando. A career in private security followed, with a series of assignments in Angola, Iraq and Somalia. This impressive book pulls no punches. It gives a unique and purposefully opinionated insight into the workings of the Rhodesian SAS and the Selous Scouts. It tells of the missions that succeeded and of the many that failed. It notes simply and succinctly the sheer stress and danger of special forces operations - all of which were deep in enemy-held territory with the threat of capture and death. Attempts to blow rail lines, helicopter assaults, pseudo-operations, the laying of deadly ambushes and risky parachute inserts are candidly related, accompanied by an unparalleled selection of photographs, most of which have never been published before. Born in West London, Paul French first sought military adventure in the County of London Yeomanry and then 21 SAS (V). Here, Paul discovered a yearning for hard work and arduous duty. A subsequent defence contract took him to Abu Dhabi where he learnt of Rhodesia and its attractions. Holidaying in Rhodesia, Paul took the opportunity to join the Rhodesian Army, serving with the renowned Rhodesian SAS and Selous Scouts. In 1980, Paul moved to the South African Defence Force, joining its elite 6 Reconnaissance Commando. Upon leaving the SADF a career in private security followed. An accomplished skydiver, Paul has thousands of jumps to his credit, and still jumps today. Married to Petah, Paul has three children. He continues to work in the security industry and now lives in the South-west of England. Shadows of A Forgotten Past is his first book.

Mech

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Airplanes, Military
Languages : en
Pages : 52

Book Description

The Flying Mathematicians of World War I

Author: Tony Royle
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
ISBN: 0228005108
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Keith Lucas was killed instantly when his BE2 biplane collided with that of a colleague over Salisbury Plain on 5 October 1916. As a captain in the Royal Flying Corps, Lucas would have known that his death was a very real risk of the work he was doing in support of Britain's war effort. But Lucas wasn't a career pilot - he was a scientist. The Flying Mathematicians of World War I details the advances and sacrifices of a select group of pioneers who left the safety of their laboratories to drive aeronautics forward at a critical moment in history. These mathematicians and scientists, including Lucas, took up the challenge to advance British aviation during the war and soon realized that they would need to learn how to fly themselves if they were to complete their mission. Set in the context of a new field of engineering, driven apace by conflict, the book follows Lucas and his colleagues as they endured freezing cockpits and engaged in aerial versions of Russian roulette in order to expand our understanding of aeronautics. Tony Royle deftly navigates this fascinating history of technical achievement, imagination, and ingenuity punctuated by bravery, persistence, and tragedy. As a result, The Flying Mathematicians of World War I makes accessible the mathematics and the personal stories that forever changed the course of aviation.

The Praetorian STARShip : the untold story of the Combat Talon

Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428990437
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 507

Book Description
Jerry Thigpen's study on the history of the Combat Talon is the first effort to tell the story of this wonderfully capable machine. This weapons system has performed virtually every imaginable tactical event in the spectrum of conflict and by any measure is the most versatile C-130 derivative ever produced. First modified and sent to Southeast Asia (SEA) in 1966 to replace theater unconventional warfare (UW) assets that were limited in both lift capability and speed the Talon I quickly adapted to theater UW tasking including infiltration and resupply and psychological warfare operations into North Vietnam. After spending four years in SEA and maturing into a highly respected UW weapons system the Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) chose the Combat Talon to lead the night low-level raid on the North Vietnamese prison camp at Son Tay. Despite the outcome of the operation the Talon I cemented its reputation as the weapons system of choice for long-range clandestine operations. In the period following the Vietnam War United States Air Force (USAF) special operations gradually lost its political and financial support which was graphically demonstrated in the failed Desert One mission into Iran. Thanks to congressional supporters like Earl Hutto of Florida and Dan Daniel of Virginia funds for aircraft upgrades and military construction projects materialized to meet the ever-increasing threat to our nation. Under the leadership of such committed hard-driven officers as Brenci Uttaro Ferkes Meller and Thigpen the crew force became the most disciplined in our Air Force. It was capable of penetrating hostile airspace at night in a low-level mountainous environment covertly to execute any number of unconventional warfare missions.