Exposure

Exposure

Author: William Bonk

Publisher:

Published: 2020-10-23

Total Pages: 412

ISBN-13: 9781943226511

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Author William Bonk raises awareness and provides a critical resource for thousands potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals at shuttered Fort McClellan in Alabama. Bonk, a licensed private investigator, draws attention to the real possibility that veterans, their families, and civilians once assigned to now-closed Fort McClellan (FMC), Alabama were subjected to hazardous environmental conditions to include chemical weapon material and toxic chemicals starting in the early 1950s and continuing through 1999 and beyond. "I want to attract the attention of the 535 members of the U.S. Congress," said Bonk, also a retired supervisory criminal investigator and former U.S. Army military police trainee who trained at FMC. I want them to be able to have a reason to move forward with a FMC health registry and work toward a presumption within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that FMC veterans were adversely affected by exposure to dangerous contaminants." The sad reality according to Bonk is that, "because of latency, dosage, time, and risk factors, FMC veterans have to fight individually to attempt to prove an in- service event and the service connection with a nexus between the two. In most cases, they were unknowingly exposed to a plethora of contaminants, making any argument difficult to prove." Bonk establishes a timeline and meticulously traces the post's historical use of hazardous materials, such as chemical weapons material, ionizing radiation, pesticides, and heavy metals. Bonk bases his findings on data from public U.S. government reports, open source news articles, and multiple interviews with trainees and trainers stationed at FMC, which was comprised of almost 50,000 acres and originally home to the U.S. Army's Military Police and Chemical Schools. The reports often reveal ambiguity, uncertainty, speculation, and a total lack of due diligence when rendering conclusions and recommendations regarding contaminated parcels.


Uncommon Valor

Uncommon Valor

Author: Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2010-09-14

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 1429988916

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Uncommon Valor from Dwight Jon Zimmerman and John D. Gresham presents a fascinating look at six of our bravest soldiers and the highest military decoration awarded in this country. Since the Vietnam War ended in 1973, the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award for valor, has been presented to only eight men for their actions "above and beyond the call of duty." Six of the eight were young men who had fought in the current war in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. All of these medals were awarded posthumously, as all had made the choice to give their lives so that their comrades might live. Uncommon Valor answers the searing question of who these six young soldiers were, and dramatically details how they found themselves in life-or-death situations, and why they responded as they did. For the first time, this book also provides a comprehensive history of the Medal of Honor itself—one marred by controversies, scandals, and theft. Using an extraordinary range of sources, including interviews with family members and friends, teammates and superiors in the military, personal letters, blogs posted within hours of events, personal and official videos and newly declassified documents, Uncommon Valor is a compelling and important work that recounts incredible acts of heroism and lays bare the ultimate sacrifice of our bravest soldiers.


Tiger Hound

Tiger Hound

Author: Ken Welch

Publisher: Ken Welch

Published: 2010-03-17

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 9781432755256

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In 1963, communist insurgency was in it's infancy. Then South Vietnam's President was assassinated and it's government was in turmoil. Soon America found itself embroiled in war and secret wars. The enemy suffered horrible casualties but were handed victory.


For God & Country

For God & Country

Author: William Pencak

Publisher:

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 440

ISBN-13:

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A history of the years between the two world wars discusses the founding of the American Legion in 1919 and its contributions to patriotism, veterans and communities throughout the nation.


The Armed Forces and American Social Change

The Armed Forces and American Social Change

Author: Troy Mosley

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-10-04

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 0761872523

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UnwrittenTruce is a powerful depiction of Black Americans’ struggle for equality told through the lens of uniformed military service. Mosley uses superb story-telling, personal vignettes, and historical examples to show how millions of Americans have lifted themselves from oppression through opportunities gleaned from military service. Collectively these efforts exerted positive outward pressure on American society and by in large has resisted all forms of social change. One of the unique aspects of combat is that rarely are Americans more equal than when thrust into harms way. It has been said there are no atheists in combat; similarly, racism, sexism, and homophobia quickly go by the wayside when under enemy fire.Yet in the 19th century and well into the 21st century, America’s military policies regarding the use of manpower could best be described as an awkward attempt to balance the requirement to win the nation’s wars while supporting a socio-political caste system. President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948 in response to police violence perpetrated against Black veterans. His actions broke this trend and set the military on the path to true meritocracy. Today, retired general Lloyd Austin is the first black American Secretary of Defense in part due to the barriers broken down by men and women who served before him. The armed services fiercely resisted integration, gender equality, and LGBTQ equality but over time have grown to value America’s well spring of diversity as a strategic and operational advantage. Under the Trump administration many of the military’s policies supporting transgender inclusion were reversed, making the U.S. military one of many institutions caught in the ideological tug of war regarding social change, which is at the heart of the present day American polarization. For as far as America has come, we still have work to do for Truman’s vision of equality of opportunity to become a reality for all Americans. Join this thought-provoking narrative that celebrates the brave American military pioneers and challenges us all to continue the push for a better expression of America.


Golden Ghetto

Golden Ghetto

Author: Steve Bassett

Publisher: Xeno Books

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781939096241

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Golden Ghetto: How the Americans & French Fell In & Out of Love During the Cold War is an intimate, improbable story of fear and skepticism giving way to trust and friendship at a huge U.S. Air Force base in central France that, for two generations, transformed the political, economic, and social life of an occupied territory.


Zero to Hero

Zero to Hero

Author: Allen J. Lynch

Publisher:

Published: 2019-03-13

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 9780998968926

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The author recounts his life experiences, from growing up on Chicago's South Side and living through several years of intense bullying, to his Army service in Vietnam and his acts that earned the Medal of Honor, to his life after military service and grappling with PTSD.


New Georgia

New Georgia

Author: Ronnie Day

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2016-02-15

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 0253018854

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“A detailed, up-to-date, integrated air-land-sea history” of a pivotal WWII campaign in the Pacific from both American and Japanese perspectives (Vincent P. O'Hara, author of In Passage Perilous). In 1942, the Solomon Islands formed the stepping stones toward Rabaul, the main base of Japanese operations in the South Pacific, and the Allies’ primary objective. The stunning defeat of Japanese forces at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November marked the turning point in the war against Japan and the start of an offensive in the Central Solomons aimed at New Georgia. New Georgia: The Second Battle for the Solomons tells the story of the land, sea, and air battles fought there from March through October 1943. Making careful and copious use of both Japanese and Allied sources, Ronnie Day masterfully weaves the intricate threads of these battles into a well-crafted narrative of this pivotal period in the war. As Day makes clear, combat in the Solomons exemplified the war in the Pacific, especially the importance of air power, something the Japanese failed to understand until it was too late, and the strategy of island hopping, bypassing Japanese strongholds (including Rabaul) in favor of weaker or more strategically advantageous targets. This multifaceted account gives the fighting for New Georgia its proper place in the history of the drive to break the Japanese defensive perimeter and bring the homeland within range of Allied bombers.


Arctic Warriors

Arctic Warriors

Author: Ken Bangs

Publisher:

Published: 2019-05-22

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9781733119405

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Arctic Warriors is a historical fiction about the struggle between the defenders of freedom and the forces of tyranny in America's Northernmost outpost. It is drawn from the author's experiences while on active duty as a Military Police Officer with the United States Army in the Alaskan Command.