Military Family Resources

"These are the stories America needs to hear about the remarkable young men and women who serve." - Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (Ret.). The most moving and powerful war stories ever told, by the men and women who lived them. Walk in my Combat Boots is a powerful collection crafted from hundreds of original interviews by James Patterson, the world's #1 bestselling writer, and First Sergeant US Army (Ret.) Matt Eversmann, part of the Ranger unit portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down.  These are the brutally honest stories usually only shared amongst comrades in arms. Here, in the voices of the men and women who've fought overseas from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, is a rare eye-opening look into what wearing the uniform, fighting in combat, losing friends and coming home is really like. Readers who next thank a military member for their service will finally have a true understanding of what that thanks is for.

Based on years of on-the-ground reporting, The Daughters of Kobani is the unforgettable story of the women of the Kurdish militia that improbably became part of the world's best hope for stopping ISIS in Syria. Drawing from hundreds of hours of interviews, bestselling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon introduces us to the women fighting on the front lines, determined to not only extinguish the terror of ISIS but also prove that women could lead in war and must enjoy equal rights come the peace. In helping to cement the territorial defeat of ISIS, whose savagery toward women astounded the world, these women played a central role in neutralizing the threat the group posed worldwide. In the process they earned the respect—and significant military support—of U.S. Special Operations Forces.

In Never Enough, Mike Hayes recounts dramatic stories and offers battle- and boardroom-tested advice that will motivate readers to do work of value, live lives of purpose, and stretch themselves to reach their highest potential.

A deep dive into the world of cyber war and cyber warriors." -- Los Angeles Times "Unsettling . . . A deeply informative account of how corporations, governments, and even individuals are rapidly perfecting the ability to monitor and sabotage the Internet infrastructure." -- Christian Science Monitor The wars of the future are already being fought today. The United States military currently views cyberspace as the "fifth domain" of warfare (alongside land, air, sea, and space), and the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, and the CIA all field teams of hackers who can, and do, launch computer virus strikes against enemy targets. As recent revelations have shown, government agencies are joining with tech giants like Google and Facebook to collect vast amounts of information, and the military has also formed a new alliance with tech and finance companies to patrol cyberspace. Shane Harris offers a deeper glimpse into this partnership than we have ever seen before, and he explains what the new cyber security regime means for all of us who spend our daily lives bound to the Internet--and are vulnerable to its dangers.

The most successful film franchise of all time, Star Wars thrillingly depicts an epic multigenerational conflict fought a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But the Star Wars saga has as much to say about successful strategies and real-life warfare waged in our own time and place.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz...Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports--some released only recently--Larson provides a new lens on London's darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents' wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela's illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill's "Secret Circle," to whom he turns in the hardest moments.   The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today's political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when, in the face of unrelenting horror, Churchill's eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.

"Speak softly and carry a big stick" Theodore Roosevelt famously said in 1901, when the United States was emerging as a great power. It was the right sentiment, perhaps, in an age of imperial rivalry but today many Americans doubt the utility of their global military presence, thinking it outdated, unnecessary or even dangerous.
In The Big Stick, Eliot A. Cohen-a scholar and practitioner of international relations-disagrees. He argues that hard power remains essential for American foreign policy. While acknowledging that the US must be careful about why, when, and how it uses force, he insists that its international role is as critical as ever, and armed force is vital to that role.

Once, war was a temporary state of affairs. Today, America's wars are everywhere and forever: our enemies change constantly and rarely wear uniforms, and virtually anything can become a weapon. As war expands, so does the role of the US military.

Finkel, a journalist, follows the soldiers who serve in the Iraq War as they struggle to reintegrate into American society.

Combat veteran and author Hans Halberstadt takes readers deeper inside the elusive world of snipers than ever before, from recruitment and training to the brutality of the killing fields. Shadow Team is probably the most productive sniper team in American military history, accounting for 276 confirmed kills in a six-month span with no casualties of its own. The team's leader made what was-and may still be-the longest range kill with a 7.62mm rifle. For the first time ever, team members explain what it's like to kill a man and what it takes to become one of the elite.

After completing military service, veterans can have a difficult time finding employment upon returning to civilian life. "Out of Uniform" is designed to help all transitioning military personnel, regardless of service, branch, rank, rating, time in service, time in grade, or specialty. Although all service members share many common denominators, each individual brings something unique to the job market. The parameters of the search may vary, but the target is the same land the right job the first time. The information in this book will enhance the odds of hitting that target.This book is divided into eight sections, covering matters in roughly the same order that they occur in the military-to-civilian transition process. Another useful feature is the KeyWord Index, which allows the reader to locate specific information throughout the book, regardless of the part or chapter. In addition to all of the technical guidance, readers will also discover important information in the anecdotes based on actual experiences of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. "Out of Uniform" is an invaluable resource for veterans who want to make the most out of their civilian career opportunities."

With more than 3.3 million paper copies of previous editions in print, this book has set the gold standard for military-to-civilian career transition. It covers everything from organizing an effective job search, obtaining transition assistance, identifying transferable skills, developing employer-centered objectives, and conducting research to writing resumes and letters, networking, interviewing, negotiating salary, and finding a federal government job.

Mission Transition is an essential career-change guide for any transitioning veteran that wants to avoid false starts and make optimal career choices following active duty. Every year, about a quarter of a million veterans leave the military - most of whom are grossly unprepared for the transition. These servicemembers have developed incredible leadership, problem-solving, and practical skills that are underutilized once they reach the civilian world, a detriment to both themselves and society. Well-intentioned Transition Assistance Programs and other support structures within the armed forces often leave veterans fending for themselves. And the mission-first culture of the military results in servicemembers focusing on their active duty roles in the year leading up to their separation, leaving them little time to adequately prepare to join the civilian world. Mission Transition guides military personnel through the entire process of making a successful move into civilian professional life. This book will: Guide you through the process of discovering what path you want to take going forward Teach you the strategies that will make your résumé stand out Provide suggestions to help you prepare for and ace the interview Discuss ways to acclimate to your new organization's culture and pay it forward to other veterans Each chapter includes advice from other veterans, illustrations of key concepts, summaries, and suggested resources.

The Emmy award-winning news anchor of Outnumbered Overtime with Harris Faulkner and co-host of the talk show Outnumbered shares the lessons she learned growing up in a military family paying homage to the military ideals that shaped her and showing how everyone can benefit from bringing the wisdom of military service into their lives.

In a nondescript Boston suburb, in a handful of low buildings buffered by trees and a lake, a group of men and women spend their days researching, testing, tasting, and producing the foods that form the bedrock of the American diet. If you stumbled into the facility, you might think the technicians dressed in lab coats and the shiny kitchen equipment belonged to one of the giant food conglomerates responsible for your favorite brand of frozen pizza or microwavable breakfast burritos. So you'd be surprised to learn that you've just entered the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center, ground zero for the processed food industry.

As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.

In this audio book Mark DeVries explores the "revolving door" dilemma of youth ministry. Based on his own experience as a youth minister and on his work with churches in crisis, the author pinpoints problems that cause division and burnout. He then provides the practical tools and structures needed to lay a strong foundation for ministry—one that isn't built solely on a person.

Fifty-two guests take turns filling a military father's chair at his family's dinner table while he serves his yearlong deployment. The week before Thanksgiving 2011, Dustin Smiley left for a yearlong military deployment. Soon after, his son Ford, eleven, invited Senator Susan Collins to fill his dad's chair at dinner. On January 3, 2012, Senator Collins came to dinner ... and brought brownies. So began Dinner with the Smileys, nationally syndicated columnist Sarah Smiley's fifty-two-week commitment to fill her husband's place at the family dinner table with interesting people--from schoolteachers to Olympians, professional athletes to famous authors, comedians to politicians--and unique role models for her three sons, even as she knows Dustin's seat cannot truly be "filled" until he is home again for the fifty-third dinner. Why dinner? Because dinnertime is often the loneliest time for people living alone. If houses and apartments were like dollhouses with one side totally exposed, Sarah says, we'd see plenty of people eating alone to the glow of a television. That was the fate Sarah feared for herself and her children during Dustin's absence. So she opened her home, and she and the kids sent invitations. And they found that a surprising number of people really are available for dinner. You just have to ask. In a time when popular culture leads us to believe that the family dinner table is dead, Dinner with the Smileys shows people that time spent with family, friends, and neighbors is still very much part of the American lifestyle.

A memoir by the highest-ranking covert warrior to lift the veil of secrecy and offer a glimpse into the shadow wars that America has fought since the Vietnam Era. Enrique Prado found himself in his first firefight at age seven. The son of a middle-class Cuban family caught in the midst of the Castro Revolution, his family fled their war-torn home for the hope of a better life in America. Fifty years later, the Cuban refugee retired from the Central Intelligence Agency as the CIA equivalent of a two-star general. Black Ops is the story of Ric's legendary career that spanned two eras, the Cold War and the Age of Terrorism. Operating in the shadows, Ric and his fellow CIA officers fought a little-seen and virtually unknown war to keep USA safe from those who would do it harm. After duty stations in Central, South America, and the Philippines, Black Ops follows Ric into the highest echelons of the CIA's headquarters at Langley, Virginia. In late 1995, he became Deputy Chief of Station and co-founding member of the Bin Laden Task Force. Three years later, after serving as head of Korean Operations, Ric took on one of the most dangerous missions of his career: to re-establish a once-abandoned CIA station inside a hostile nation long since considered a front line of the fight against Islamic terrorism. He and his team carried out covert operations and developed assets that proved pivotal in the coming War on Terror. A harrowing memoir of life in the shadowy world of assassins, terrorists, spies and revolutionaries, Black Ops is a testament to the courage, creativity and dedication of the Agency's Special Activities Group and its elite shadow warriors.

"The definitive account of America's heroic but ultimately doomed effort in one of Afghanistan's most rugged regions."--Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe   "A saga of courage and futility, of valor and error and heartbreak."--Rick Atkinson, author of the Liberation Trilogy

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, three brothers by blood became brothers in arms when each volunteered to defend their country. No military family has sacrificed more during the ensuing war, which has become the longest ever fought by America's armed forces.While serving in Afghanistan, US Navy SEAL veteran and CIA contractor Jeremy Wise was killed in an al Qaeda suicide bombing that devastated the US intelligence community. Less than three years later, US Army Green Beret sniper Ben Wise was fatally wounded after volunteering for a dangerous assignment during a firefight with the Taliban. Ben was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, while Jeremy received the Intelligence Star--one of the rarest awards bestowed by the U.S. government--and also a star on the CIA's Memorial Wall. United States Marine Corps combat veteran Beau Wise is the only known American service member to be pulled from the battlefield after losing two brothers in Afghanistan. Told in Beau's voice, Three Wise Men is an American family's historic true story of service and sacrifice.

From drones to satellites, missile defense systems to cyber warfare, Israel is leading the world when it comes to new technology being deployed on the modern battlefield.The Weapon Wizardsshows how this tiny nation of 8 million learned to adapt to the changes in warfare and in the defense industry and become the new prototype of a 21st century superpower, not in size, but rather in innovation and efficiency--and as a result of its long war experience. Sitting on the front lines of how wars are fought in the 21st century, Israel has developed in its arms trade new weapons and retrofitted old ones so they remain effective, relevant, and deadly on a constantly-changing battlefield. While other countries begin to prepare for these challenges, they are looking to Israel--and specifically its weapons--for guidance.

The unapologetic, laugh-your-ass-off military memoir both vets and civilians have been waiting for, from a five-tour Army Ranger turned YouTube phenomenon and zealous advocate for veterans.

Anyone in military life will find inspiration, support, and appreciation in this collection of personal and grateful stories about the important role our members of the armed forces and their families play in serving our great country.

Brye reflects on her family's military service and offers a lifetime's worth of insight, comfort, wisdom, and a bit of humor to fellow military moms who are navigating the unpredictable life that accompanies having a child--or children--in uniform.

Describes how David French, a thirty-seven-year old father of two, Harvard Law graduate, and president of a free speech association, and his family dealt with his decision to answer the call to serve his country by going to war in Iraq.

The true story of the fierce band of women who battled Washington--and Hanoi--to bring their husbands home from the jungles of Vietnam.

Growing up in a military family, journalist and news anchor Harris Faulkner experienced firsthand how success in life is rooted in the knowledge, integrity, and duty that came from her military surroundings. She shares the formative lessons in leadership and work ethic she learned from a lifetime spent absorbing the military mindset, and offers recommendations for how all families can benefit from the guiding principles of military life.

Former Navy SEAL Senior Chief James Hatch tells a fierce, moving tale of being badly wounded on a special ops mission that ended his two-decades-long military career; his searing recovery; and the struggle to live life off the speeding train of war.

Here is a book for finding your way as a warrior and adapting to a peaceful life at home. The techniques of yoga and meditation have extensive scientific support for their effectiveness in relaxing the stress response, sharpening mental acuity, boosting immunity and recovery time, and promoting a general sense of health and psychological well-being. InYoga for Warriors, acclaimed teacher Beryl Bender Birch presents a beginner-friendly approach that she originally developed while working with civilians and first-responders in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Documents the author's marriage to a fellow Iraq War veteran, describing the impact of his brain injury on their relationship, their shared efforts to overcome post-traumatic stress, and the lack of support for veterans.

The challenges of reintegration can come as a surprise, but you can arm yourself with the skills needed to face this difficult time and help your partner build the resilience needed to heal. This book will be your guide

Military families with children face many of the everyday challenges that those families not in the military face, but they also face other challenges that the rest of us don't. This book looks at the special issues and concerns of military families raising children and provides support and resources for those families.

Offers straightforward answers to questions commonly asked by wounded U.S. military veterans and their family members. Brings together information on medical treatments, as well as financial, legal, and tax matters.

Military Mental Health Care: A Guide for Service Members, Veterans, Families, and Community seeks to aid our troubled, returning forces by dissecting the numerous mental health problems they face upon arriving stateside. Don Philpott and Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott, co-authors with Janelle Hill of the highly successful Wounded Warrior Handbook, detail not only each issue's symptoms, but also discuss what treatments are available, and the best ways for veterans to access those treatments while readjusting to civilian life.

A one-stop guide to navigating the may financial issues facing today's military while serving, when preparing for transition or retirement, and during their past military lives and careers. It covers general financial planning along with many specific aspects of money management vital to military members and their families.

A first-of-its-kind celebration of military life, 1001 Things to Love About Military Life chronicles some obvious and not-so-obvious traditions, advantages and experiences military members, veterans and their families share.

Collection of first-person essays written by military family members about marriage, parenting, moving, deployment, grief, careers, faith, friendship, and more in military life.

Tanya Biank gives us the inside story of women in today's military and their professional and personal challenges from the combat zone to the home front.

The "absorbing and powerful" (Wall Street Journal) story of two pioneering suffragette doctors who shattered social expectations and transformed modern medicine during World War I.   A month after war broke out in 1914, doctors Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson set out for Paris, where they opened a hospital in a luxury hotel and treated hundreds of casualties plucked from France's battlefields. Although, prior to the war and the Spanish flu, female doctors were restricted to treating women and children, Flora and Louisa's work was so successful that the British Army asked them to set up a hospital in the heart of London. Nicknamed the Suffragettes' Hospital, Endell Street soon became known for its lifesaving treatments.   In No Man's Land, Wendy Moore illuminates this turbulent moment of global war and pandemic when women were, for the first time, allowed to operate on men. Their fortitude and brilliance serve as powerful reminders of what women can achieve against all odds.