Soldiers

[close] A forum for soldiers and those interested in military subjects to find, recommend, and review books on military topics for professional development or general interest. Book topics can range broadly from history, leadership, strategy, tactics, theory, and technology. "The problem with being too busy to read is that you learn by experience (or by your men’s experience), i.e. the hard way. By reading, you learn through others’ experiences, generally a better way to do business, especially in our line of work where the consequences of incompetence are so final for young men. Thanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. It doesn’t give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead." -General James Mattis

[close] "It's 1941. Hitler is gaining power overseas and the whole world is being turned upside down. My home has been bombed and my friends and family are dying. In the middle of all this our men are dying trying to free the world from evil. So why does everything with you feel so right? It should feel wrong." The locals of a small street in London have decided to set up a charity dedicated to helping those fighting for their lives on the front lines. Part of this service is a letter exchange programme for those who have no family. The idea was to boost soldiers morale. It wasn't too fall in love but when your pouring your whole heart out-It's difficult not to fall in love. Many shotgun weddings have occurred due to people being scared about the future but this programme seems to be promoting true love or at least a version of marriages that aren't going to fall about as soon as war's over.

[close] Return To Sender is a literary thriller about a Korean War vet and wounded POW who returns home to Manzanita Oregon to find his love has married another, and so he surrenders to a family promise to become a Catholic Priest. However, when trouble hits his coastal village, he soon finds he's more soldier than priest. "In Return to Sender, Mindy Halleck writes about family and neighborhoods and the ways our roots define our lives with the assured vividness of Dennis Lehane and the unflinching edge of Gillian Flynn. An old school, can't-put-it-down read." Larry Brooks, critically-acclaimed bestselling author of four psychological thrillers, in addition to his work as a freelance writer and writing instructor. www.StoryFix.com “Mindy Halleck’s Return to Sender is a deeply evocative novel wherein the protagonist, Theo Riley is a Roman Catholic Priest who carries a dark cross and earns redemption through blood and tears. This is a novel that explores what it means to have faith in a world torn by conflict.” Bill Johnson, Author of A Story is a Promise & The Spirit of Storytelling, www.storyispromise.com. “The vivid imagination of a born story-teller comes to life in Mindy Halleck’s new novel, Return to Sender, starring a warrior-priest as reluctant hero—he waits for death, he prays for mercy, he hopes for the miraculous return of his fighting skills—as he faces a stone killer, the ruthless dragon-antagonist rising up from the mists with vengeance in his heart. Set against a backdrop on the picturesque—and often quixotic—Oregon seacoast, Return to Sender blooms with a sterling cast and some peachy plot-twists.” Robert J. Ray, The Weekend Novelist www.RobertJRay.com If you loved Snow Falling On Cedars, or Fried Green Tomatoes with a touch of Cape Fear (weird combo, I know) But if you like those stories, you'll love Return To Sender.

[close] Most people have the privilege of being born into a family that is safe. We live in houses that are private and secured, and leave ourselves defenseless for hours when we go to sleep every night. Can you imagine that not being a possibility? You are asleep when you are ripped from your bed by a stranger, forced to become a killer or a sex slave. Doesn’t really sound like something people really have to worry about, does it? Many young people in Africa do though. A terrifying man named Joseph Kony has been abducting children for over 25 years to create his “Lords Resistance Army” in parts of Africa. He takes innocent kids and turns them into killers. They are sometimes even forced to kill their own parents. Kony has become the world’s ‘worst’ criminal, and the worst part is, nobody even knew who he was until the last couple of days. So what can you do? Well that’s the easy part. Just spread the word.