Lasting Valor

Lasting Valor PDF Author: Vernon J. Baker
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 9780553761986
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Lasting Valor tells of some of the most dramatic acts of courage attempted in the entire Mediterranean theater during WWII-acts that resulted in Baker's being awarded the Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and Distinguished Service Cross. On April 15, 1945, as part of one of the last segregated outfits to go to war for the United States, Lieutenant Baker knew he and his men were being deserted when, during the battle for Castle Aghinolfo in Northern Italy, his white commander told him he was going for reinforcements. Caught three miles behind enemy lines, and with half their comrades in arms dead, they refused to turn and run. Although he was decorated for his efforts, the army quietly surpressed this action until 1997, when Baker was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. Lasting Valor also reveals Baker's early life. An orphan raised by grandparents in nearly all-white Cheyenne, Wyoming, he survived a rocky adolescence and went on to live in Father Flanagan's Home, and then to fight to join a segregated army. His years in the army are recounted, and give us a rare glimpse into the life of a World War II black infantryman. It is a powerful book; as "The Washington Post "praised: "Whites should read this book to learn of Baker's accomplishments against a background of severe prejudice. Blacks should read it for the heroism it reveals. Everybody should read it for the power of its narrative." "From the Paperback edition."

Lasting Valor

Lasting Valor PDF Author: Vernon J. Baker
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 9780553761986
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Lasting Valor tells of some of the most dramatic acts of courage attempted in the entire Mediterranean theater during WWII-acts that resulted in Baker's being awarded the Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and Distinguished Service Cross. On April 15, 1945, as part of one of the last segregated outfits to go to war for the United States, Lieutenant Baker knew he and his men were being deserted when, during the battle for Castle Aghinolfo in Northern Italy, his white commander told him he was going for reinforcements. Caught three miles behind enemy lines, and with half their comrades in arms dead, they refused to turn and run. Although he was decorated for his efforts, the army quietly surpressed this action until 1997, when Baker was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. Lasting Valor also reveals Baker's early life. An orphan raised by grandparents in nearly all-white Cheyenne, Wyoming, he survived a rocky adolescence and went on to live in Father Flanagan's Home, and then to fight to join a segregated army. His years in the army are recounted, and give us a rare glimpse into the life of a World War II black infantryman. It is a powerful book; as "The Washington Post "praised: "Whites should read this book to learn of Baker's accomplishments against a background of severe prejudice. Blacks should read it for the heroism it reveals. Everybody should read it for the power of its narrative." "From the Paperback edition."

Lasting Valor

Lasting Valor PDF Author: Vernon J. Baker
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 9780553580624
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
Purple Heart and Medal of Honor winner Vernon J. Baker eloquently portrays the hell of war in "Lasting Valor", from serving in a segregated Army to watching his men being killed by enemy fire. This bittersweet chronicle tells how Baker was orphaned at age four, and raised by his grandparents in the nearly all-white town of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Filled with unexpected humor and moving insights, this book is a story about love, heartbreak, racism and rediscovery, and most of all, honor and dignity.

Knocking Down Barriers

Knocking Down Barriers PDF Author: Truman K. Gibson, Jr.
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
ISBN: 0810162393
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
Winner, 2006 Illinois State Historical Society Book Award Certificate of Excellence Recipient, 2007 Hyde Park Historical Society Paul Cornell Award Sixty years ago, when Truman Gibson reported for duty at the War Department, Washington, D.C. was a southern city in its unbending segregation as well as in its steamy summers. Gibson had no illusions, but as someone who'd enjoyed the best of the vibrant black culture of prewar America, he was shocked to find the worst of the Jim Crow South in the nation's capital. What Gibson accomplished as an advocate for African American soldiers-first as a lawyer working for the Secretary of War, then as a member of President Truman's "Black Cabinet"--is a large part of the history of the struggle for civil rights in the American military; and it is a compelling part of the story that Gibson tells in this book, a memoir of a life spent making a difference in the world one step at a time. A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Gibson took his fight for racial justice to the corridors of powers, arguing against restrictive real estate covenants before the U.S. Supreme Court, opposing such iconic figures as Generals Dwight Eisenhower and George C. Marshall in campaigning for the integration of the armed forces, and challenging white control of professional sports by creating a boxing promotion empire that made television history. A firsthand account of the nitty-gritty of twentieth-century race relations in the worlds of law, the military, sports, and entertainment, Gibson's memoir is also an engaging recollection of encounters with the likes of Thurgood Marshall, W. E. B. DuBois, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Patton, Jackie Robinson, and Joe Louis, among others. As a historical record and as an intimate look at a bygone era with all its charms and hardships, the book is an essential chapter in our nation's story.

Army

Army PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military art and science
Languages : en
Pages : 1126

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Book Description


Beyond Valor

Beyond Valor PDF Author: Jon Erwin
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400216842
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
On April 12, 1945, a fleet of American B-29 bombers flew toward Japan. Their mission was simple: Stop World War II by burning the cities, factories, and military bases of the Japanese em­pire, thereby forcing an unconditional surrender. But it didn't go as planned. Beyond Valor is one soldier's extraordinary tale of bravery, faith, and devotion. Onboard one of the B-29s, the City of Los Angeles, a phosphorus bomb detonated inside the plane. Staff Sergeant Henry E. "Red" Erwin absorbed the blast of burning phosphorus and managed to throw the still-flaming bomb overboard be­fore collapsing from the third-degree burns that covered his body. Breaking protocol, the plane diverted to a military hospital at Iwo Jima. President Truman quickly ordered that Erwin be awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest honor of the American military. Drawn from in-depth interviews with eyewitnesses and deep archival research, Beyond Valor tells the gripping story of Erwin's life--from his upbringing in the suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama to his enduring commitment to supporting veterans. Beyond Valor gives you a front-row seat to Erwin's amazing life and legacy. Along the way, you'll learn: How Erwin's childhood in Birmingham shaped his faith and his family How a split-second decision changed the course of his life The countless ways that Erwin chose to give back to his fellow veterans after he returned home Beyond Valor is about more than that fateful day in April 1945. It's a story of one man's journey from the ultimate despair to a place beyond service, beyond honor, and beyond valor: a life illuminated by the light of God's love.

America's Heroes

America's Heroes PDF Author: James H. Willbanks
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 829

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Book Description
This book features the stories of 200 heroic individuals awarded the Medal of Honor for their distinguished military service while fighting for their country, from the Civil War to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. America's Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan pays tribute to Americans who have demonstrated uncommon valor in the face of great danger. The Medal of Honor recipients featured in this book all acted heroically to earn this highly coveted award, many of them by risking—or sacrificing—their lives to save the lives of others. The stories of these individuals—chosen to reflect the wide diversity of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, branches of service, and conflicts of the recipients—will broaden readers' understanding and appreciation of the Medal of Honor and the distinguished Americans who have received it. In addition to the gripping stories of these heroic Americans, this unique encyclopedia includes an introduction that chronicles the evolution in the award's significance. The Medal of Honor has changed greatly over the last 150 years, not only in the design of the physical decoration itself, but also in terms of the qualifying criteria for the award's recipients.

African Americans in the Military

African Americans in the Military PDF Author: Catherine Reef
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
ISBN: 1438107757
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Throughout much of the United States's history

Race in Post-Fascist Italy

Race in Post-Fascist Italy PDF Author: Silvana Patriarca
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108845908
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
Explores the untold stories of biracial children born to Italian women and Black Allied soldiers in the aftermath of World War Two.

Liar's Web

Liar's Web PDF Author: Sandra Bell Calhoune
Publisher: Genesis Press, Inc.
ISBN: 1585716405
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 133

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Book Description
A shocking betrayal. When photographer Star Evans returns to her hometown of Liberty Creek, Texas, to attend her grandmother's funeral, she has no idea of the drama that awaits her. Star receives a letter written by her grandmother informing her that eight years ago she crafted a shattering lie in order to separate her from the young man she loved. Now, in order to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish, Star must come face to face with her past by enlisting the help of her first love. The One That Got Away. Case Matthews once loved Star with all his heart and soul. Until the day she left town without a word of goodbye and shattered him, body and soul. Now, years later, Case is a successful rancher who's moved on from heartbreak and loss. When Star comes knocking at his door asking for his help, he has no intention of having anything to do with the pampered princess. But when danger comes calling at her family's ranch, Case steps in to protect the woman he still loves. And as they work together to unravel the mysteries of the past and present, an explosive passion re-ignites.

Black Passports

Black Passports PDF Author: Stephanie Y. Evans
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438451555
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
In this resource guide for fostering youth empowerment, Stephanie Y. Evans offers creative commentary on two hundred autobiographies that contain African American travel memoirs of places around the world. The narratives are by such well-known figures as Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, Billie Holiday, Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Muhammad Ali, Richard Pryor, Angela Davis, Condoleezza Rice, and President Barack Obama, as well as by many lesser-known travelers. The book addresses a variety of issues related to mentoring and curriculum development. It serves as a tool for "literary mentoring," where students of all ages can gain knowledge and wisdom from texts in the same way achieved by one-on-one mentoring, and it also provides ideas for incorporating these memoirs into lessons on history, geography, vocabulary, and writing. Focusing on four main mentoring themes—life, school, work, and cultural exchange—Evans encourages readers to comb the texts for models of how to manage attitudes, behaviors, and choices in order to be successful in transnational settings.