Showing results for "Duty" in History

From the author of Make Your Bed, The Hero Code and The Wisdom of the Bullfrog, comes an uplifting selection of speeches, letters, toasts and poems that capture the essence of who we are as Americans. Admiral McRaven's name has become synonymous with indelible advice for changing your life...

Starting at the very bottom of the ranks, SAS Original Reg Seekings was a farm labourer's son who climbed from private to squadron sergeant-major and became one of the British Army's most highly decorated non-commissioned officers of the Second World War. In short, Seekings was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. His is a remarkable story–one of fierce ambition, camaraderie, inner strength and heroism as he transcended humble beginnings in the Fen fields of Cambridgeshire. And he was there from the very first day of the SAS, which was born in the late summer of 1941.

How the brutal murder of a Chicago police officer spiralled into a sweeping 12-year hunt for justice – at all costs. An investigation by Melissa Segura

From the former secretary of defense, a strikingly candid, vivid account of serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When Robert M. Gates received a call from the White House, he thought he’d long left Washington politics behind: After working...

The colonial church was critical in training the founding generation on biblical principles for governing justly. When England governed unjustly over a long period of time with no intention of changing course, the leaders of the Continental Congress confronted their civil authority. After many years trying to reconcile, they saw no other option but to follow the biblical template for starting a new nation. They drafted the Declaration of Independence, and God blessed their effort.

Why do some leaders maintain their power through every crisis while others fall at the first sign of conflict? In The Art of War, Niccolò Machiavelli reveals that the secret to lasting success lies in the cultivation of a disciplined citizenry. Structured as a dialogue between a seasoned commander and young aristocrats, this work critiques the reliance on mercenaries and advocates for a return to the strategic ideals of Rome. Unlike The Prince, this text focuses on the practical and philosophical organization required for a society to survive and thrive.

Dickie Arbiter was spokesman for the Queen during the most turbulent period of her reign. On Duty With The Queen is an open and engaging account of his life and his fascinating role in serving this unique family at a time of momentous change. Dickie gives his personal insights into events that...

The unforgettable history of World War II presented in a chronological timeline format. This is THE definitive guide to WW2 in 24 chapters - each chapter covers a three-month period throughout the war years of 1939-1945.

The 'duty of care' which the state owes to its citizens is a phrase much used, but what has it actually meant in Britain historically? And what should it mean in the future, once the immediate COVID crisis has passed? In A Duty of Care, Peter Hennessy divides post-war British history into BC (before corona) and AC (after corona). He looks back to beginnings when, during wartime, Sir William Beveridge identified the 'five giants' on the road to recovery: want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness and laid the foundations for the modern welfare state. 

Bloomsbury presents Moonlight Crusaders: Special Duties Pilots over Occupied Europe by Paul Smiddy, read by Laurence Dobiesz. This engrossing history explores the creation, development and actions of the Special Duties squadrons, which carried spies, political figures and documents in and out of...

""The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or the college campuses. It was lost in Washington, D.C."" —H. R. McMaster (from the Conclusion) Dereliction Of Duty is a stunning analysis of how and why the United States became involved...

Colonel David H. Hackworth—one of America's most decorated soldiers—served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. After retiring from the military in 1971, he completed a second tour of battlefield duty as a war correspondent. Accompanying our nation's fighting men and women to the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Somalia, Korea, and Haiti, what he learned was shocking: high-level military incompetence, futility, and corruption.

This ranks as one of the best books available about the Vietnam War from an ordinary soldier's point of view. A must read book. The author has captured the essence of that experience and that time in our history!

From intimate relationships to global politics, Sarah Schulman observes a continuum: that inflated accusations of harm are used to avoid accountability. Illuminating the difference between conflict and abuse, Schulman directly addresses our contemporary culture of scapegoating. This deep, brave, and bold work reveals how punishment replaces personal and collective self-criticism, and shows why difference is so often used to justify cruelty and shunning.

As a child, Robert Howard was taught by his Granny Callie to always face his threats head-on. Some thirty years later, he emerged from the Vietnam War as America’s most decorated Green Beret. For the first time, Robert Howard’s story is being told in full. Respected military historian...

Reading of & commentary on Cicero's work On Duties (De Officiis)

As a UH-1C gunship platoon leader and pilot in Vietnam, I can highly recommend Roger’s book. Primarily because while dozens of books have been written by pilots who flew in Vietnam, few have been written by crew chiefs who were as critical to mission success as the pilots and whose duties were not only varied but arguably more interesting.

This essay by Thoreau first published in 1849, argues that individuals should not permit governments to overrule their consciences. It goes on to say that individuals have a duty to avoid allowing the government to make them the agents of injustice. The quote: "That government is best which governs least," sometimes attributed to Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Paine, actually was first found in this essay. Thoreaus' thoughts were motivated by his disgust with slavery and the Mexican-American War but they are still relevant and resonate today.

"That government is best which governs least" is the famous opening line of this essay. The slavery crisis inflamed New England in the 1840s and 1850s. The environment became especially tense after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. A lifelong abolitionist, Thoreau delivered an impassioned speech which would later become Civil Disobedience in 1848, just months after leaving Walden Pond. The speech dealt with slavery, but at the same time excoriated American imperialism, particularly the Mexican–American War. Thoreau asserts that because governments are typically more harmful than helpful, they ...

An autobiographical account of one US Marine Reservists tours as a Mortuary Affairs Marine. His story begins in 2002 as an everyday postal letter carrier in Springfield, Ohio when he gets the call to muster. In the next three years, his life is thrust onto the world stage as an active participant in combat. His unique experiences as an MA (Mortuary Affairs) Marine puts him and his teammates directly into the path of war. Told in first person view, hear what it was like to witness a regime crumble, walk the streets of terrorist-held cities, go on Search and Recovery missions, and more.