ANGELS IN COMBAT BOOTS – A SYNOPSIS In 1802 Thomas Jefferson signed the legislation that established the United States Military Academy at West Point. It was an all-male institution to train and educate officers for the United States Army. That all changed in 1973 when the 93rd Congress passed legislation that would ensure that admission to the service academies would be made without regard to a candidate’s sex, race, color, or religious beliefs.” Women were coming to West Point! They may be able to handle the academics, but they will never be able to handle the physical requirements echoed across the plain. Part of Day 1 processing is a pull-up test. Many of the women struggled, and “I told you so” became the thought of the day. However, when all new cadets were awakened the following morning and reported to physical training, upper-class cadets and tactical officers were shocked when a few of the women could run in the “fast” group. That simply couldn’t be...but it was. Running was the one area where both men and women participated shoulder to shoulder on a daily basis, and women with cross country experience could not only run with the average men, they could run with many of the better men. They were instrumental in breaking down those barriers and helping to fully integrate women into the Corps of Cadets. Women did belong...women could handle the physical requirements. In this book you will get to know that first women’s cross-country team. You will follow their athletic recruitment, their summer training at Corps Squad Screening, understand the challenges of being among the first women at the academy and see how they handled their first varsity meet. You will understand how they became known as “Charlie’s Angels”, watch them develop as runners who could initially only handle minimal mileage to the team that became Eastern Champions, finished in the nation’s top 10 twice, and even became the first Army women’s team to BEAT NAVY...a special stealth competition but a win none-the-less. They were special women and were truly...ANGELS IN COMBAT BOOTS!

When Dow W. Hill and his buddies decide to join the army during World War II, the young men must leave behind the familiar daisy fields, friends and family of their quiet American town for the battlefields of freedom-fighting France. The young men’s journey opens up a world of bloody, heartbreaking encounters with Nazis, a network of French spies determined to overcome the enemy and a bevy of brave American soldiers, journalists, nurses, and doctors. Will life ever be the same after the war?

Imaginary friends are healthy, right? They come and go, but what happens when they return and not alone? The Adventures of Angel Babies: Ankerank Returns introduces Ankerank, an imaginary friend of sorts, who has come back to visit a little girl named Boomer and her family. Boomer's family soon realizes Ankerank has morphed; he is not imaginary, but a very real, animated Angel Baby who has returned to Earth with his fellow Angel Babies on a mission to earn their permanent wings--and then some. Although Boomer let go of Ankerank shortly after her sister, BeBe, was born, Ankerank, a playful imp, kind in heart, cannot let Boomer go, much to his elders' dismay. Boomer's family gets caught up in Ankerank's mission, which is thwarted by mishaps and shenanigans. As the Angel Babies plunge ahead to succeed in their mission, their presence captivates the town's folk launching us into a heartwarming, vividly whimsical, hilarious ride of a tale laced with mayhem, antics, humor, and love for the enjoyment of all ages. Fasten your seatbelts, hold on to your funny bone, and let your heart soar

What does it mean to be human in this season of waiting? And what does it mean to believe that God became human? In language drenched in poetry, this collection of meditations for Advent and Christmas explores what it means to gaze into the mystery that is Incarnation.

A special collection of extraordinary true stories about the presence of angels in our everyday lives. Six-year-old Macy was sleeping peacefully in her family’s home when a sudden crash of thunder woke her up. The next thing she realized was that her house had been struck by a bolt of lightning and was engulfed in flames. Macy saw no way out of her bedroom and cried out for her parents. Just moments before the spreading fire would have swallowed her up, an unseen force gently took her by the hand and guided her through the fire and outside to safety. She turned to thank this stranger, only to find no one in sight. “It must have been my guardian angel,” Macy later concluded. Have you ever wondered if you would be able to spot your guardian angel? Angels in Our Midst invites you to ponder the real-life stories of ordinary men and women whose lives have been completely altered by the remarkable work of angels. The stories collected here will help all of us understand the true nature of angels, and realize that their presence provides not just succor, but the reassuring evidence of a loving God who is forever watching over us. Here is your invitation to enter a new level of wonder in your life, explore the ageless mysteries of divine intervention, and discover how you might recognize your own guardian angel in times of need.

★ "Partridge proves once again that nonfiction can be every bit as dramatic as the best fiction."* America's war in Vietnam. In over a decade of bitter fighting, it claimed the lives of more than 58,000 American soldiers and beleaguered four US presidents. More than forty years after America left Vietnam in defeat in 1975, the war remains controversial and divisive both in the United States and abroad. The history of this era is complex; the cultural impact extraordinary. But it's the personal stories of eight people—six American soldiers, one American military nurse, and one Vietnamese refugee—that create the heartbeat of Boots on the Ground. From dense jungles and terrifying firefights to chaotic helicopter rescues and harrowing escapes, each individual experience reveals a different facet of the war and moves us forward in time. Alternating with these chapters are profiles of key American leaders and events, reminding us of all that was happening at home during the war, including peace protests, presidential scandals, and veterans' struggles to acclimate to life after Vietnam. With more than one hundred photographs, award-winning author Elizabeth Partridge's unflinching book captures the intensity, frustration, and lasting impacts of one of the most tumultuous periods of American history. *Kirkus Reviews, starred review of Marching for Freedom

I was knocked down by a shell. As I found myself laying on my back, the half-full flamethrower tank pinning me to the ground, a North Korean soldier came at me with his bayonet. In his quilted suit, he seemed to come out of nowhere. I can still see his face and smell the garlic on his breath. As he lunged at me, I was able to turn, but he stabbed my upper left arm with his bayonet. I had a double-barrel shotgun taped on the arm of my flamethrower and gave him both barrels. I think I blew him in half. The battle kept going on around me. Weapons fire was all around me, and I heard other boys being hit and falling. I laid there feeling weak as blood from my deep wound seeped out on the Korean dirt. I must have been ready to blackout when I heard a familiar voice say, “Joe, if I don’t close up that wound, you’ll die.” (Paragraph italicized.) From growing up in a small Pennsylvania town, through Marine Corps boot camp and training, and finally, remembering and coping with buried memories decades later, Korean War combat veteran Joseph Barna recounts his life events that will put a tear in your eye and a smile on your face.

In 1957, Melba Beals was one of the nine African American students chosen to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. But her story of overcoming didn't start--or end--there. While her white schoolmates were planning their senior prom, Melba was facing the business end of a double-barreled shotgun, being threatened with lynching by rope-carrying tormentors, and learning how to outrun white supremacists who were ready to kill her rather than sit beside her in a classroom. Only her faith in God sustained her during her darkest days and helped her become a civil rights warrior, an NBC television news reporter, a magazine writer, a professor, a wife, and a mother. In I Will Not Fear, Beals takes readers on an unforgettable journey through terror, oppression, and persecution, highlighting the kind of faith needed to survive in a world full of heartbreak and anger. She shows how the deep faith we develop during our most difficult moments is the kind of faith that can change our families, our communities, and even the world. Encouraging and inspiring, Beals's story offers readers hope that faith is the solution to the pervasive hopelessness of our current culture.