No Higher Honor
No Higher Honor

Author: Bradley Peniston

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2013-01-15

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1612512771

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Like its World War II namesake of Leyte Gulf fame, USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) was a small combatant built for escort duty. But its skipper imbued his brand-new crew with a fighting spirit to match their forebears, and in 1988 when the guided missile frigate was thrust into the Persian Gulf at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, there was no better ship for the job. Forbidden to fire unless fired upon, Captain Paul Rinn and his crew sailed amid the chaos in the Gulf for two months, relying on wit and nerve to face down fighter jets and warships bent on the destruction of civilian vessels. Their sternest test came when an Iranian mine ripped open the ship's engine room, ignited fires on four decks, and plunged the ship into darkness. The crew's bravery and cool competence was credited with keeping the ship afloat, and its actions have become part of Navy lore and a staple of naval leadership courses ever since. This is the first book to record the Roberts' extraordinary tale. After years of research and interviews with crewmembers, journalist Bradley Peniston chronicles the crew's heroic efforts to save the ship as they fought flames and flooding well into the night. The author also describes the frigate's origins, its operational history, and the crew's training. Peniston's personal approach to the subject not only breathes life into the historical narrative but gives readers an opportunity to get to know the individuals involved and understand the U.S. retaliation to the mining and the battle that evolved, setting the stage for conflicts to come.

Storm Center
Storm Center

Author: Will C. Rogers

Publisher: US Naval Institute Press

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The tragic shootdown of a commercial Iranian airliner by a U.S. Navy cruiser in 1988 drew worldwide attention and became the subject of a heated debate that continues even today. The man at the center of the controversy, the captain of the Vincennes, has until now avoided public discussion of the tragedy. With this book, however, he breaks his silence and gives a full accounting of what happened. Captain Will Rogers details shipboard events that led up to the firing of the Aegis missiles and describes the Navy's investigation of the incident. His wife, Sharon, tells about the upheaval at home in San Diego, and together they reveal the events that followed, including the March 1989 bombing of the van and the community's reaction. In telling his story, Rogers brings into sharp focus the cold realities of the speed, complexity, and ambiguity of modern high-tech warfare and the stresses placed on those who must instantly react to life-and-death situations while operating state-of-the-art electronic equipment. On a more intimate level, the book presents a vivid picture of an ordinary couple thrust into the midst of extraordinary circumstances: A skipper boosting the morale of his crew while privately struggling with his own despondency and facing the scrutiny of the media and the judgment of his peers and superiors. A devoted wife, mother, and teacher trying to hold her family together while coping with threatening phone calls, aggressive reporters, and a frightened administration at the school where she taught. Epic in scope, Storm Center is a story of love and terrorism, laughter and tears, fear and courage, and of the inner strength of two determined people who weather every storm and learn how to carry on with their lives. -- Inside jacket flap.

The Iran Primer
The Iran Primer

Author: Robin B. Wright

Publisher: US Institute of Peace Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 1601270844

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A comprehensive but concise overview of Iran's politics, economy, military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. The volume chronicles U.S.-Iran relations under six American presidents and probes five options for dealing with Iran. Organized thematically, this book provides top-level briefings by 50 top experts on Iran (both Iranian and Western authors) and is a practical and accessible "go-to" resource for practitioners, policymakers, academics, and students, as well as a fascinating wealth of information for anyone interested in understanding Iran's pivotal role in world politics.

The Twilight War
The Twilight War

Author: David Crist

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2013-07-02

Total Pages: 658

ISBN-13: 014312367X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"An important and timely book that should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding how the United States and Iran went from close allies to enduring enemies." -The Washington Post "Deserves a spot on the short list of must-read books on United States-Iran relations." -The New York Times The dramatic secret history of the undeclared, ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran. The United States and Iran have been engaged in an unacknowledged secret war since the 1970s. This conflict has frustrated multiple American presidents, divided administrations, and repeatedly threatened to bring the two nations to the brink of open warfare. Drawing upon unparalleled access to senior officials and key documents of several U.S. administrations, David Crist, a senior historian in the federal government, breaks new ground on virtually every page of The Twilight War. From the Iranian Revolution to secret negotiations between Iran and the United States after 9/11, from Iran’s nuclear program to the secretive and deadly role of Qasem Soleimani, Crist brings vital new depth to our understanding of “the Iran problem”—and what the future of this tense relationship may bring.

The Persian Puzzle
The Persian Puzzle

Author: Kenneth Pollack

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks

Published: 2005-08-09

Total Pages: 571

ISBN-13: 0812973364

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In his highly influential book The Threatening Storm, bestselling author Kenneth Pollack both informed and defined the national debate about Iraq. Now, in The Persian Puzzle, published to coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Iran hostage crisis, he examines the behind-the-scenes story of the tumultuous relationship between Iran and the United States, and weighs options for the future. Here Pollack, a former CIA analyst and National Security Council official, brings his keen analysis and insider perspective to the long and ongoing clash between the United States and Iran, beginning with the fall of the shah and the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran in 1979. Pollack examines all the major events in U.S.-Iran relations–including the hostage crisis, the U.S. tilt toward Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war, the Iran-Contra scandal, American-Iranian military tensions in 1987 and 1988, the covert Iranian war against U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf that culminated in the 1996 Khobar Towers terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, and recent U.S.-Iran skirmishes over Afghanistan and Iraq. He explains the strategies and motives from American and Iranian perspectives and tells how each crisis colored the thinking of both countries’ leadership as they shaped and reshaped their policies over time. Pollack also describes efforts by moderates of various stripes to try to find some way past animosities to create a new dynamic in Iranian-American relations, only to find that when one side was ready for such a step, the other side fell short. With balanced tone and insight, Pollack explains how the United States and Iran reached this impasse; why this relationship is critical to regional, global, and U.S. interests; and what basic political choices are available as we deal with this important but deeply troubled country.

The Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War

Author: Williamson Murray

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-09-04

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 1139993216

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Iran-Iraq War is one of the largest, yet least documented conflicts in the history of the Middle East. Drawing from an extensive cache of captured Iraqi government records, this book is the first comprehensive military and strategic account of the war through the lens of the Iraqi regime and its senior military commanders. It explores the rationale and decision-making processes that drove the Iraqis as they grappled with challenges that, at times, threatened their existence. Beginning with the bizarre lack of planning by the Iraqis in their invasion of Iran, the authors reveal Saddam's desperate attempts to improve the competence of an officer corps that he had purged to safeguard its loyalty to his tyranny, and then to weather the storm of suicidal attacks by Iranian religious revolutionaries. This is a unique and important contribution to our understanding of the history of war and the contemporary Middle East.

America's First Clash with Iran
America's First Clash with Iran

Author: Lee Allen Zatarain

Publisher: Casemate

Published: 2010-11-22

Total Pages: 615

ISBN-13: 1612000339

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A revealing account of the US conflict with Iran over the Persian Gulf during the Reagan era—and the groundwork it set for today’s tensions. In May 1987, the US frigate Stark was blown apart by an Iraqi jet fighter in the Persian Gulf, jumpstarting a major conflict with Iran that came to be known as the Tanker War. In America’s First Clash with Iran, author Lee Allen Zatarain employs Pentagon documents and firsthand interviews to reveal the full story of a conflict that may have presaged further battles to come. At the climax of the Iran-Iraq War, Iran was losing on the battlefield. Ayatollah Khomeini decided to close the Persian Gulf against shipping from Iraq’s oil-rich backer, the emirate of Kuwait. When the United States sent a fleet to the Gulf, raising the Stars and Stripes over Kuwait’s commercial tankers, a tinderbox was set off. The Iranians laid mines throughout the narrow passage and launched attack boats against both tankers and US warships. The US Navy fought its largest surface battle since World War II against the Ayatollah’s assault boats. As Saddam Hussein looked on, Iranian gunners fired missiles against US forces—actions which, if made known at the time, would have required the US Congress to declare war against Iran.