Summer Reading, Military Theme, 2017

Gates of Fire (on the Commandants reading list and I highly recommend)

Ender's Game for the science fiction fans

Killer Angels for historical fiction

All Quiet on the Western Front
 
Duty is a very interesting read. A little more political, but still a good mix of military info and thought process.
 
Just finished The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future

Not a military theme, but nothing could be more relevant to decisions concerning the presence of the US military in the middle of a sectarian/ethnic conflict stretching from the Mediterranean to Kashmir. Given that the book was written in 2007, it has proven to be more prescient than even the author could have realized.

I'll bet dollars to donuts the book is on Mattis' and McMasters' reading lists.
 
Mix it up with and/or substitute a Dan Carlin "Hardcore History" podcast.

"Blueprint for Armageddon" - 6 (long) episodes - history of WWI
"King of Kings" - 3 episodes - Persian Empire vs Greeks
"The Destroyer of Worlds" - one episode on the early year theories and threats of nuclear war, and the Cuban Missile Crisis

Fantastic Stuff. Everything Dan does is great. Some of his older stuff included series on the Eastern Front in WWII and the Punic Wars.

Great to listen to in the car.
 
I have heard many good things about this non-fiction book and plan on reading it: Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution by Patrick O'Donnell

It is the true story of an elite fighting unit from Maryland (apparently the modern equivalent of special forces) that helped the Continental Army win key battles. If it was not for them, the British most likely would have won the war.

The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey is a novel set in the last days of World War Two. A young American woman working for OSS in Switzerland is asked to help a German scientist working on Germany's atomic bomb program defect to safety behind Allied lines. Hitler is intent upon rounding up the entire group of conspirators who tried to assassinate him- can she get the scientist to safety before Hitler catches up to him? This would be a perfect movie for Lifetime cable channel.
 
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"The Finest Hours". True story of the US Coast Guard. I have read excerpts of "Washington's Immortals". Looks like a great read.
 
Ranger: A Soldiers Life by Colonel Ralph Puckett USA (Ret), also Colonels Pucketts's book, Words for Warriors: A Professional Soldiers Notebook
 
I'm adding in some professional reading this summer with a focus on non-Navy (my usual go-to) history, to broaden my perspective.

This MOAA link has some interesting choices:

http://www.moaa.org/readinglist/#co...m_medium=email&utm_campaign=ContemporaryBooks

"Fields of Fire" by James Webb. Still the best novel about Vietnam War combat. Makes you feel the brutal humidity and brilliant, awful lush greeness of the deadly Vietnamese jungle. Makes you hate those in the base camp, with their cold beer, creased uniforms & air conditioned tents, while feeling pride in the grunts fighting what they know (by 1969, the year the novel takes place) is a losing war, with their casualties to be uncelebrated and unlamented. As bad as being in Vietnam was in 1965-1966, by 1969-1970 it must have been far worse.

"Pacific Crucible: War At Sea in the Pacific 1941-1942" and "The Conquering Tide: War In The Pacific Islands 1942-1943" both by Ian Toll. The Pacific War was truly the greatest naval war that ever was or ever will be. The vast size of the conflict, the distances involved, the number of ships, the amounts of supplies, of ammunition, of shells, of food, of oil, of aircraft & parts, of pilots, sailors, officers, blood for transfusions, morphine, mail coming to-and-from the fleets to home, movies flown to the front for entertainment, etc. are nearly impossible to imagine today. For example, in June 1944 the Allies landed 200,000 troops in Normandy after having travelled 100 miles across the English Channel. On the other side of the world, in June 1944 the US Navy landed 200,000 Marines & GIs in the Mariana Islands after having sailed a couple of thousand miles. Much of the supplies brought to the Allied forces in Normandy came from industrialized Great Britain. For troops in Saipan, Tinian, Guam, etc. their resupplies had to come from Australia & the US, much further away, via the US Navy.
 
Definitely a Navy book, but Sea Power by Admiral James Stavridis has been awesome so far. I'm about half way through and I love how he talks about not only the history of each body of water but also his own experience with each and how they are currently impacting the world
 
Anything by Max Hastings is good. I don't care for Ambrose though. In what I've read he recreated settings and conversations, for example: "The wind was cold and blustering and General Smith told the Lt. "It's going to be a rough night." I forget the book I read of his, but that type of writing fro non-fiction isn't my style. Obviously I'm in the minority considering how many books Ambrose has sold. :)
I'm surprised Deriliction of Duty didn't make the list, not just because it's a great book but also due to McMaster's position in Trump's administration.
 
Spirit Mission by Ted Russ
An MH-47G Chinook helicopter departs formation in the Iraqi night. The mission is unauthorized. The objective is reckless. But to save a friend, Sam Avery and his crew of Night Stalkers have prepared for one last flight.
As they near their target, Sam reflects on his time in the crucible of the United States Military Academy. West Point made Sam the leader he is. But his fellow cadets made him the man that he is. The ideals of duty, honor, and country have echoed throughout his life and drive him and his comrades as they undertake their final and most audacious spirit mission.
 
If you go to Amazon and search for Naval Military History, you'll find this newly published book at the top of the list:
Discipline: The Annapolis Way: Lessons from the Nation's 4th Best Military Academy

******* LINK REMOVED *********

Even if you already have a stack of books to read on your night table, you should at least read the comments about this book. I promise it's worth your time.
 
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I just finished reading Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach.

What a fascinating, well-written book. It's a very serious book about military research and yet parts of the book are literally laugh-out-loud funny. Made me glad that my youngest in in the US Army because, for all it's faults, our army really does do a remarkable amount of research that ultimately (yes, the wait may be long) will benefit the soldiers. I can't imagine that many other countries are doing this quantity of research.
 
If you go to Amazon and search for Naval Military History, you'll find this newly published book at the top of the list:
Discipline: The Annapolis Way: Lessons from the Nation's 4th Best Military Academy

******* LINK REMOVED *********

Even if you already have a stack of books to read on your night table, you should at least read the comments about this book. I promise it's worth your time.

Written by my classmate. A real page-turner!
 
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