Barnes and Noble Archives - TogetherWeServed Blog

Grunts, Gramps & Tanks by Rick Bogdan

The United States' involvement in South Vietnam lasted roughly 20 years. For much of that time, American forces were actively engaged against the North Vietnamese. As the war lingered on and public sentiment turned against the war, the U.S. eventually withdrew in 1973. Within two years, the South Vietnamese government would fall and Vietnam was unified under the Communist regime. That is a very simplistic description of 20 years of conflict. The men and women who served in Vietnam each have a...

Steel Soldier: Guadalcanal Odyssey by James J. Messina

Military Book Reviews, World War II

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States seized the initiative in the Pacific by delivering a resounding defeat to the Japanese at the Battle of Midway. Following this turn of events, the U.S. decided to attack the Solomon Islands, especially Guadalcanal, to support further operations as they advanced toward the Japanese home islands. Guadalcanal became a critical target for the Americans because of its position along Allied supply lines, its proximity to further Japanese bases, and...

Truly Healthy Now by David Philip Leasure

Military Book Reviews

Like many military members, David Léasure was devoted to his fitness routine. When he joined the Navy straight from high school in 2011, the first thing he did with his paycheck was to join an online exercise program. He adhered to the meal plans, took all the supplements he was supposed to, and generally saw the results he wanted through hours at the gym. What Is It That Crumbles Away and Makes Us Give Up? Despite being physically bigger and generally healthier, he began to wonder why he was...

The X-15 Rocket Plane by Michelle Evans

Cold War, Military Book Reviews

When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, into low-earth orbit in 1957, it set the Space Race in full motion. The United States was determined to break the barriers of man's entry into space and dominate this undiscovered country. While NASA projects Mercury, Gemini, and especially Apollo are often remembered and celebrated, a little-remembered partnership between the US Air Force and NASA brought an incredible new aircraft, arguably the first-ever manned...

Vietnam Beyond by Gerald E. Augustine

Military Book Reviews, Vietnam War

When Gerald Augustine shipped off to Vietnam in 1966, he brought a 1949 Kodak Brownie Hawkeye box camera at the behest of his mother. It turned out to be a great decision. About the Author of Vietnam Beyond He used the camera to document his experiences during and after the Vietnam War, and some of these images are included in his new book, "Vietnam Beyond." A Middletown, Connecticut native, Augustine graduated from high school in 1963 and went on to study at Central Connecticut State...

Notable Encounters by Chris Adams