Don T Cry For Me Sergeant Major

Lethality in Combat shines a blazing light on the three most controversial aspects of military combat: the necessity of killing; the taking, or not, of prisoners; and the targeting of civilians. This book argues that when a nation-state sends its soldiers to fight, the state must accept the full implications of this, uncomfortable as they may be. Drawing on seven conflicts - the Boer War, World Wars I and II, and the wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Falklands and Iraq - the author considers these ethical issues.

The Truth of War unveils a penetrating exploration of the most contentious facets of military combat, delving into the necessity of killing, the complex decisions surrounding the taking or sparing of prisoners, and the intricate dilemmas concerning the targeting of civilians. With a profound analysis of seven significant conflicts, this book challenges conventional beliefs, arguing that war possesses its own set of rules that often diverge from society's established laws and values. At its core, the book confronts the harsh reality that soldiers engaged in close-quarter combat must swiftly adapt to become efficient killers in order to survive, emphasising the stark choice they face, hone their lethal skills or meet a perilous demise. The author contends that the requirements of war demand an unflinching acceptance of this disturbing truth. By drawing from history, encompassing conflicts such as the Boer War, World Wars I and II, the wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, the author presents a comprehensive examination of the ethical dilemmas embedded within each episode. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, The Truth of War peels back the layers of sanitised perceptions, exposing the gritty realities that within the realm of warfare. In unveiling the hidden truths and complexities of war, this brilliant and thought-provoking book shines a blazing light on the multifaceted nature of combat, challenging readers to reevaluate their preconceived notions and confront the uncomfortable truths that lie at the heart of humanity's most enduring and controversial endeavour - war.

Thirty years after the Falklands War, those deeply affected by its horrors and its glories - islanders, soldiers, politicians - pool their most vivid memories to produce a poignant and graphic reminder of the Argentinian occupation of the islands and their liberation by the British Task Force. Contributors include Sir Rex Hunt, Governor of the Falklands at the time of the invasion; political and diplomatic figures such as Margaret Thatcher, Major-General Julian Thompson, Sir John Nott, Cecil Parkinson and David Owen; men on the front line such as Simon Weston and Denzil Connick; journalists like Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins; and many of the islanders themselves, for whom life would never again be the same. With stunning photographs of the campaign and its aftermath, Memories of the Falklands provides a unique reminder of an extraordinary episode in British history.

Army Green is a fictional study encompassing the lives of two friends from Kansas City, as they encounter the events and situations of the last half of the 20th Century. Their backgrounds are similar, yet differ enough to provide an intriguing level of contrast. It is the sequel to Century's Child. The two men meet as teenagers in the Kansas National Guard of 1954. Their lives develop over the next 50 years, separately for the most part, but along parallel career and family lines. The protagonist, Bill Anderson, begins his post-high school life intending (and wanting) nothing more than to have a "steady lifetime job" at Sears, Roebuck's gigantic mail order plant in Kansas City, Missouri. Thirty-five years later he has developed a completely-unexpectedly steady lifetime job as one of the Army's seniormost enlisted logisticians. He describes his life as a series of accidents which turned out well. The reader can't avoid the conclusion that the narrator made those incidents bear fruit, and his protestations to the contrary, chance had only a small part in their outcome. The turning point of his story is the crucial accident of his activation and posting to Vietnam in the wake of 1968's Tet Offensive. After that, even with twelve years' seniority, Sears doesn't have a chance. During his career, he continues to encounter his friend, now-Doctor Coe Richards, the protagonist of Century's Child. Richards' more-conventional civilan-and-reservist's life provides an engaging ongoing counterplot from the first to the last stage.

Century's Child is the saga of the Richards family, whose protagonist describes the interaction of his family, typical of tens of thousands like it, with the military and political history of this country, from 1900 to 1998, with a single flashback to November, 1864 (Sherman's March to the Sea), and a flash-over to the Somme, July 1, 1916. The setting is principally a Midwestern city, but over half the action takes place at multiple scattered Army posts, in South Vietnam, and in Arabia. The first-person protagonist is determined to break out of the blue-collar world, to break the mold of generations of skilled labor, and feels driven to see just how far he can rise. He wants to do something to make the world better, and perhaps to make a difference in its history. And it is not in him to say "die." Medical school is the logical first choice; in 1954 he begins pre-med, the first of the Richards clan to do so. His weaknesses are almost overwhelming in the 1950s; no money (no student loans then), no family endorsement ("maybe we should keep to our place"), a disastrous failed engagement to the love of his life, minimal skills to cope with adversity, and probably most importantly, he is not as intelligent as he believes that he is. The antagonist is the established order, which is fuelled by the sweat of the blue-collar class. The fewer of the establishment that there are, the more fuel is available to each of them. The Establishment is easy to identify; you can tell by the way that its members treat anyone who cannot retaliate. And its great strength lies principally in its incumbency. The conflict is not in whether the protagonist will succeed in breaking away into upward mobility; that becomes obvious early in the narrative, but in demonstrating how, first with the help of intensive military training, and then with a year in Vietnam, which makes up half the book, he does it.