The true account of a lone British Special Forces advisor working for the U.S. in Pakistan On retirement from an unusual military career Howard Leedham settled in the U.S. with his American wife and successfully flew executive jets--until he was recruited in 2003 by the State Department's airwing. Despite being British, he had the unusual skills they required, and his specific brief was to activate a fleet of antiterrorist helicopters which had been...

"On October 25, 2010, Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta became the first living person since the Vietnam War to receive the United States' highest military decoration, and both he and Sergeant Leroy Petry (the second inductee) rightly take their place in the pages of this third edition of Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty. The book includes 144 contemporary portraits of recipients by award-winning photographer Nick Del Calzo...

Throughout history, mounted troops have been known as elite men of arms, and the Australian Light Horse is a part of that legendary tradition. After the Gallipoli campaign, most of the Australian Light Horse, commanded by Major General Harry Chauvel, remained in Egypt to defend the Suez Canal. After thwarting the Turkish advance at Romani in August 1916, the Australian Light Horse led the advance into Palestine with sparkling victories at Magdhaba...

Australia is dotted with memorials to soldiers who fought in wars overseas, but there are no official commemorations of the battles fought on Australian soil between Aborigines and white colonists. Delving into why it is more controversial to talk about the frontier war now than it was 100 years ago, Forgotten War continues the story told in Henry Reynolds' seminal book The Other Side of the Frontier, which argues that the settlement of Australia...

"This book introduces the smallest branch of the U.S. military, the U.S. Coast Guard. Historical information covers its roots in early America and the Revenue Cutter Service promoted by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and its work during the American Civil War, World War I, and Hurricane Katrina. The coast guard's range of missions, including performing search and rescue missions, protecting U.S. harbors from terrorist attacks, preventing...

Peter Stanley, Jeffrey Grey, Carolyn Holbrook, Ken Inglis, Tom Frame and others explore the rise of Australia's unofficial national day. Does Anzac Day honor those who died pursuing noble causes in war? Or is it part of a campaign to redeem the savagery associated with armed conflict? Do the rituals of April 25th console loved ones? Or reinforce security objectives and strategic priorities? Contributors explore the early debate between grieving families...

A landmark history of Australian Jews in the military, from the First Fleet to the recent war in Afghanistan. Over 7000 Jews have fought in Australia's military conflicts, including more than 330 who gave their lives. While Sir John Monash is the best known, in Jewish Anzacs acclaimed writer and historian Mark Dapin reveals the personal, often extraordinary, stories of many other Jewish servicemen and women: from air aces to POWs, from nurses to generals,...

"This book introduces the U.S. Army. Historical information covers its roots in colonial America, early militias, the Revolutionary War and the formation of the Continental Army, the millions of soldiers who fought in the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II, and the modern wars against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Key army commanders are highlighted, including presidents General George Washington and General Dwight D. Eisenhower,...