The Hooligans of Kandahar

The Hooligans of Kandahar PDF Author: Joseph Kassabian
Publisher: TCK Publishing
ISBN: 1631610910
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
An Army combat veteran’s personal account of his time in service during the Afghan War with an unconventional squad. In the birthplace of the Taliban, some men lose their lives, some lose their sanity, and others their humanity. They are the Hooligans . . . During the peak of the Afghanistan War, a group of soldiers is dropped by helicopter into the remote mountains outside of Kandahar City. Mismanaged and overlooked by command, the squad must rely on each other to survive. Their mission is to train and advise the Afghan National Police and help rebuild the country of Afghanistan. The Afghan Police station they are assigned to live in is dangerous health hazard. Many of the police officers they are supposed to train are Taliban sleeper agents or the family of Taliban fighters. The ones that aren’t are often addicted to drugs, illiterate, or smuggling child slaves. The squad’s leader is Slim, a staff sergeant in his late twenties with so many mental health issues that his insanity is his most dominant personality trait. An alcoholic with a penchant for violent outbursts against both his own soldiers and the Afghans, he is more comfortable at war than at home. Joseph Kassabian is the youngest and most junior fire team leader in the squad. He’s charged with leading a team of soldiers not even old enough to drink. He himself is only 21 years old. As a combat veteran from previous deployments with four years in the Army, he assumes he has seen it all. But he has no idea how bad things can get in war-torn Kandahar . . . Humorous and grim yet honest, The Hooligans of Kandahar is Jarhead and The Hurt Locker meets I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Winner of the 2017 eLit Awards Gold Medal in Current Events Praise for The Hooligans of Kandahar “A frighteningly realistic snapshot of the current war. Mr. Kassabian paints a deeply moving portrait of the struggles faced by men and women in uniform caused by our current foreign policy (or lack thereof), while bringing us along for a horrific, often . . . hilarious ride through the life of an American soldier.” —William Fulton, author of the critically acclaimed book The Blood of Patriots, Hill vets 100 awardee, SME/Consultant Domestic Terrorism

Citizen of Earth

Citizen of Earth PDF Author: Joseph Kassabian
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781949645293
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
Vincent Solaris is a teenage malcontent whose future changes dramatically when he is arrested and sentenced to three year's service in the Earth Defense Forces. Any dreams of him lazing away his years of servitude are shattered when an alien horde called the Alliance attacks. Along with a Martian gangster named Fiona, he must find a way to survive

Fobbit

Fobbit PDF Author: David Abrams
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 0802194087
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
An Iraq war comedy that “is everything that terrible conflict was not: beautifully planned and perfectly executed; funny and smart and lyrical; a triumph” (Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life). Fobbit ’fä-bit, noun. Definition: A US soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids combat by remaining at the base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2011). Pejorative. In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit, a New York Times Notable Book, takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield—where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like a desk job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy. Darkly humorous and based on the author’s own experiences in Iraq, Fobbit is a fantastic debut that shows us a behind-the-scenes portrait of the real Iraq war. “This novel nails the comedy and the pathos, the boredom and the dread, crafting the Iraq War’s answer to Catch-22.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

A Brief History of Vice

A Brief History of Vice PDF Author: Robert Evans
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0147517605
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
A celebration of the brave, drunken pioneers who built our civilization one seemingly bad decision at a time, A Brief History of Vice explores a side of the past that mainstream history books prefer to hide. History has never been more fun—or more intoxicating. Guns, germs, and steel might have transformed us from hunter-gatherers into modern man, but booze, sex, trash talk, and tripping built our civilization. Cracked editor Robert Evans brings his signature dogged research and lively insight to uncover the many and magnificent ways vice has influenced history, from the prostitute-turned-empress who scored a major victory for women’s rights to the beer that helped create—and destroy—South America's first empire. And Evans goes deeper than simply writing about ancient debauchery; he recreates some of history's most enjoyable (and most painful) vices and includes guides so you can follow along at home. You’ll learn how to: • Trip like a Greek philosopher. • Rave like your Stone Age ancestors. • Get drunk like a Sumerian. • Smoke a nose pipe like a pre–Columbian Native American. “Mixing science, humor, and grossly irresponsible self-experimentation, Evans paints a vivid picture of how bad habits built the world we know and love.”—David Wong, author of John Dies at the End

The Prisoner's Dilemma

The Prisoner's Dilemma PDF Author: Joe Kassabian
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
When the Galaxy is on fire, there are no heroes... Vincent Solaris is a teenager drifting through life who manages to graduate Ethics School by the skin of his teeth. His unplanned future changes dramatically when he is arrested and charged with crimes against the Central Committee after a night of drinking. While he escapes the gallows, Vincent is sentenced to three years of service in the Earth Defense Forces. Vincent is sent off to train, thinking that he'll simply spend the next few years lazing away at the edges of Human controlled space. This idea is shattered when a mysterious alien army attacks. On his way to the far-flung killing fields of war, Vincent meets Fiona, a Martian gangster serving a life sentence. Together, they must find a way to survive against the most terrifying foe that humanity has ever faced. Experience the start of a debut Military Sci-Fi Series from Army veteran Joe Kassabian. It's perfect for fans of Galaxy's Edge, Rick Partlow, and Josh Hayes.

A Long Time Until Now

A Long Time Until Now PDF Author: Michael Z. Williamson
Publisher: Baen Publishing Enterprises
ISBN: 1625793758
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 854

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Book Description
Book 1 in a new series from the creator of the best-selling Freehold Universe series. A military unit is thrust back into Paleolithic times with only their guns and portable hardware. Ten soldiers on convoy in Afghanistan suddenly find themselves lost in time. Somehow, they arrived in Earth's Paleolithic Asia. With no idea how they arrived or how to get back, the shock of the event is severe. They discover groups of the similarly displaceImperial Romans, Neolithic Europeans, and a small cadre of East Indian peasants. Despite their technological advantage, the soldiers only have ten people, and know no way home. Then two more time travelers arrive from a future far beyond the present. These time travelers may have the means to get back, but they aren't giving it up. In fact, they may have a treacherous agenda of their own, one that may very well lead to the death of the displaced in a harsh and dangerous era. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About Michael Z. Williamson: _A fast-paced, compulsive readãwill appeal to fans of John Ringo, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and David Weber.Ó _ Kliatt _Williamson's military expertise is impressive.Ó _SF Reviews

Redeployment

Redeployment PDF Author: Phil Klay
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 069815164X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction "Redeployment is hilarious, biting, whipsawing and sad. It’s the best thing written so far on what the war did to people’s souls.” —Dexter Filkins, The New York Times Book Review Selected as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post Book World, Amazon, and more Phil Klay's Redeployment takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos. In "Redeployment", a soldier who has had to shoot dogs because they were eating human corpses must learn what it is like to return to domestic life in suburbia, surrounded by people "who have no idea where Fallujah is, where three members of your platoon died." In "After Action Report", a Lance Corporal seeks expiation for a killing he didn't commit, in order that his best friend will be unburdened. A Morturary Affairs Marine tells about his experiences collecting remains—of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers both. A chaplain sees his understanding of Christianity, and his ability to provide solace through religion, tested by the actions of a ferocious Colonel. And in the darkly comic "Money as a Weapons System", a young Foreign Service Officer is given the absurd task of helping Iraqis improve their lives by teaching them to play baseball. These stories reveal the intricate combination of monotony, bureaucracy, comradeship and violence that make up a soldier's daily life at war, and the isolation, remorse, and despair that can accompany a soldier's homecoming. Redeployment has become a classic in the tradition of war writing. Across nations and continents, Klay sets in devastating relief the two worlds a soldier inhabits: one of extremes and one of loss. Written with a hard-eyed realism and stunning emotional depth, this work marks Phil Klay as one of the most talented new voices of his generation.

Freedom in the World 2011

Freedom in the World 2011 PDF Author: Freedom House
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 1442209968
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 862

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Book Description
Freedom in the World, the Freedom House flagship survey whose findings have been published annually since 1972, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The survey ratings and narrative reports on 194 countries and 14 territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic activists, and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide. The Freedom in the World political rights and civil liberties ratings are determined through a multi-layered process of research and evaluation by a team of regional analysts and eminent scholars. The analysts used a broad range of sources of information, including foreign and domestic news reports, academic studies, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, individual professional contacts, and visits to the region, in conducting their research. The methodology of the survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.

Central Asia

Central Asia PDF Author: P. Stobdan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788182747524
Category : Democracy
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Central Asia remains both stable and unpredictable after 20 years of its reemergence. The states here continue to undergo complex nation-building process, which is far from complete, but they firmly remain insulated by Russia and but more increasingly so by China. Only Kyrgyzstan has so far uniquely followed a liberal polity, but this young country had to cope with two revolutions before achieving a parliamentary democracy in 2010. However, the institution of democracy remains weak because of some difficult and intricate internal and external challenges i.e., economic, ethnic, Islamic, narcotic along with convoluted strategic games played by major powers in Kyrgyzstan. It is the only country in the world that hosts military bases of both Russia and the United States. The country retains strong Chinese economic influence. The book is an attempt to provide an overview of political and strategic processes at work in the region by taking the case of Kyrgyzstan, tracing the events erupted since 2005 and more after 2010. It contains aspects of India's engagement in Kyrgyzstan and throws light on India's newly launched 'Connect Central Asia' policy.

Victor in the Jungle

Victor in the Jungle PDF Author: Alex Finley
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780997251029
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Case officer Victor Caro is back, and he's brought the whole family along this time. On assignment in South America with his wife and young son, Victor must break up an alliance between one country's charismatic autocrat and a narco-trafficking revolutionary group in the country next door. As the group's support for the increasingly dictatorial leader grows, Victor enlists the help of a colorful group of CYA colleagues, along with his own family, to neutralize the threat. As they manage sources in the Amazon and diktats from Washington, Victor and his team witness how populism can drive a wealthy country into an unstoppable downward spiral. It's a jungle out there, but it will make for one hell of an adventure.