Best of
Soldiers

2008

My Private War: Liberated Body, Captive Mind: A World War II Pow's Story


Norman Bussel - 2008
    Touching-down in a field outside Berlin, Norm was immediately seized by local farmhands, who were in the process of lynching him when a passing German soldier put a stop to the execution. For the next year, Norm would struggle to survive at the hands of the Nazis as a prisoner of war.And that is when the rage began. Rage that he and his fellow captives were cold and starving, their wounds and illnesses left untreated. Rage that men were shot without warning. The rage and emotional turmoil he suffered during that year of hell would follow him home, denying him the peace and stability he and his loved ones longed for. This is one soldier's searing and honest story of his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. A battle that speaks to the hearts and minds of veterans of all wars who find themselves with liberated bodies but captive minds.

Firebrand of Liberty: The Story of Two Black Regiments That Changed the Course of the Civil War


Stephen V. Ash - 2008
    They were among the first African American troops in the Northern army, and their expedition into enemy territory was like no other in the Civil War. It was intended as an assault on slavery by which thousands would be freed.At the center of the story is prominent abolitionist Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson, who led one of the regiments. After waging battle for three weeks, Higginson and his men were mysteriously ordered to withdraw, their mission a seeming failure. Yet their successes in resisting the Confederates and collaborating with white Union forces persuaded President Abraham Lincoln to begin full-scale recruitment of black troops, a momentous decision that helped turned the tide of the war.Using long-neglected primary sources, historian Stephen V. Ash’s stirring narrative re-creates this event with insight, vivid characterizations, and a keen sense of drama.

Ellis Island: An Interactive History Adventure (You Choose: History)


Michael Burgan - 2008
    You're searching for a better life. Ellis Island, near New York City, is your first stop in your search for opportunity and freedom. Officials on the island have been processing immigrants there for decades, but not everyone gets through. If you pass the tests, you're on your way to a new life in the United States. If you don't, you may find yourself being sent back to your homeland. What path will you take? Will you: Be a Jewish youth leaving the violence of Russia in hopes of a better life in America? Be an Italian teen who lands at Ellis Island during World War I? A German immigrant who faces deportation? Everything in this book happened to real people. And YOU CHOOSE what you do next. The choices you make could lead you to opportunity, to wealth, to poverty, or even to death.

The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans


Aaron Glantz - 2008
    government's neglect of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Aaron Glantz, who reported extensively from Iraq during the first three years of this war and has been reporting on the plight of veterans ever since, levels a devastating indictment against the Bush administration for its bald neglect of soldiers and its disingenuous reneging on their benefits. Glantz interviewed more than one hundred recent war veterans, and here he intersperses their haunting first-person accounts with investigations into specific concerns, such as the scandal at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. This timely book does more than provide us with a personal connection to those whose service has cost them so dearly. It compels us to confront how America treats its veterans and to consider what kind of nation deifies its soldiers and then casts them off as damaged goods.

The Wounded Warrior Handbook: A Resource Guide for Returning Veterans


Don Philpott - 2008
    To many soldiers and their families coping with the shock and reality of the injuries, figuring out what to do next--even completing tasks as seemingly easy as submitting paperwork--can be overwhelming and confusing. Written with these men and women in mind, The Wounded Warrior Handbook provides our wounded heroes and their families with quick, straightforward answers to the questions they suddenly face and guides them through the deluge of processes, procedures, and policies they must adhere to in order to receive the care they deserve and need. Comprehensive and easy-to-use, the Handbook compiles information regarding medical treatment, rehabilitation, counseling, support, and transition, including Symptoms, treatment options, and information resources of common injuries Programs to help families reach and care for their injured soldiers Definitions of the seven classifications of "casualty" and the notification process for next of kin Documents family members should carry when traveling to see their loved ones Challenges of reintegrating into everyday life, and tips and resources for succeeding Guidance for finding a job that matches an injured soldier's physical abilities and skills Organizations offering advocacy and legal assistance Locations of Veterans Affairs hospitals, medical centers, and clinics Whether you work with members of the military or support a community that does, you can help our embattled men and women make the transition from active duty to post-war domestic life with this time-saving and life-restoring book.