“What does it take to fly and fight with America’s Air Cavalry? That’s the story of Cowboys Over Iraq. You’ll meet bold personalities right out of a Hollywood movie. You’ll be right there as Jimmy Blackmon and his fellow Cavalry troopers track down and tangle with determined foes. You’ll experience the highs of triumph and the lows of bitter loss. Most importantly, you’ll see how and why Jimmy Blackmon learned hard-won leadership and battle lessons in the deadly skies of Iraq. Strap in. Hang on. Get ready to go hunting with the Air Cav.” —Daniel P. Bolger, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, Retired, Commander, 1st Cavalry Division 2008-2010 “A great read by an exceptional combat aviator, leader, and writer! Jimmy Blackmon captures brilliantly the enthralling story of the air cavalry unit that was the eyes and ears of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during the fight to Baghdad and throughout the first year in Iraq – when I was privileged to command the division. He captures vividly, as well, the courage, skill, and feel for the battlefield of the gifted pilot and commander of the squadron, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Schiller, to whom we turned repeatedly when the missions were the toughest.” —General David Petraeus (U.S. Army, Ret.) commanded the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Multinational Force-Iraq, US Central Command, and coalition and U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Cowboys Over Iraq tells the amazing story of leadership, innovation, and initiative demonstrated by a brotherhood that was forged in the crucible of combat during the invasion of Iraq. “What does it take to fly and fight with America’s Air Cavalry? That’s the story of Cowboys Over Iraq. You’ll meet bold personalities right out of a Hollywood movie. You’ll be right there as Jimmy Blackmon and his fellow Cavalry troopers track down and tangle with determined foes. You’ll experience the highs of triumph and the lows of bitter loss. Most importantly, you’ll see how and why Jimmy Blackmon learned hard-won leadership and battle lessons in the deadly skies of Iraq. Strap in. Hang on. Get ready to go hunting with the Air Cav.”—Daniel P. Bolger, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, Retired; Commander, 1st Cavalry Division 2008–2010 “A great read by an exceptional combat aviator, leader, and writer! Jimmy Blackmon captures brilliantly the enthralling story of the air cavalry unit that was the eyes and ears of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during the fight to Baghdad and throughout the first year in Iraq—when I was privileged to command the division. He captures vividly, as well, the courage, skill, and feel for the battlefield of the gifted pilot and commander of the squadron, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Schiller, to whom we turned repeatedly when the missions were the toughest.”—General David Petraeus (U.S. Army, Ret.); Commanded the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Multinational Force-Iraq, US Central Command, and coalition and U.S. forces in Afghanistan

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and a finalist for the National Book Award “Brilliantly done . . . grand, intimate, and joyous.” —New York Times Book Review From the PEN/Hemingway Award-winning author of the critically acclaimed short story collection, Brief Encounters with Che Guevara, comes Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk ("The Catch-22 of the Iraq War" —Karl Marlantes). Three minutes and forty-three seconds of intensive warfare with Iraqi insurgents—caught on tape by an embedded Fox News crew—has transformed the eight surviving men of Bravo Squad into America’s most sought-after heroes. Now they’re on a media-intensive nationwide tour to reinvigorate public support for the war. On this rainy Thanksgiving Day, the Bravos are in Texas Stadium, slated to be part of the halftime show. Among the Bravos is nineteen-year-old Specialist Billy Lynn. Surrounded by patriots sporting flag pins on their lapels and support our troops bumper stickers, he is thrust into the company of the team’s owner and his coterie of wealthy colleagues; a born-again cheerleader; a veteran Hollywood producer; and supersized players eager for a vicarious taste of war. Over the course of this day, Billy will drink and brawl, yearn for home and mourn those missing, face a heart-wrenching decision and discover pure love and a bitter wisdom far beyond his years. Poignant, riotously funny, and exquisitely heartbreaking, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a searing and powerful novel that has cemented Ben Fountain’s reputation as one of the finest writers of his generation.

Pale Horse is the remarkable never-before-told true story of an army aviation task force during combat in the Afghan War, told by the commanding officer who was there. Set in the very valleys where the attacks of 9/11 were conceived, and where ten Medals of Honor have been earned since that fateful day the war began, the narrative races from ferocious firefights and bravery in battle to the quiet moments where the courageous men and women of Task Force Pale Horse catch their breath before they take to the skies again. Jimmy F. Blackmon writes with a power and hard-hitting honesty that leaps off the page. He has the respect of the men and women of his brigade, and a command of the narrative to tell their story. From pilots of lethal Apache attack helicopters who strike fear in their enemies to the medevac soldiers who risk their lives daily, these are warriors from a variety of backgrounds who learned selflessness and found the closest brotherhood they ever knew through the crucible of war. Pale Horse both honors and commemorates the service of this elite task force from the unique vantage point of the commander who led them in battle.

Through colorful dialogue and vivid storytelling for which Jimmy Blackmon has been praised, the reader will take a journey through Ranger School. From the nervous anticipation leading up to the course, to the extreme pain and suffering Ranger School demands, Jimmy shares the feelings and emotions that accompany extreme sleep and food deprivation. Furthermore, he shares what he learned about himself along the way. Before you can lead others, you must first learn to lead yourself. Ranger School is designed to replicate the extreme nature of combat in a multitude of environments. The attrition rate is over 50 percent. Every ranger student experiences a low moment where they want to quit and walk away. Jimmy openly shares how he dealt with extreme hunger, exhaustion, below freezing temperatures, and ultimately, a desire to quit and end the suffering. The reader will be fascinated, not only with what one must go through to attain the coveted Ranger tab, but at how ranger students deal with such harsh environments—many times in very humorous ways. Despite all the aforementioned challenges, Ranger students must lead one another on complex missions in harsh terrain in order to succeed. How to motivate, inspire, and lead in such an extreme environment is powerful and will appeal to leaders of all types and in all industries.

This vivid account tells the story of the truckers who were driving from the UK to the Middle East in the early 1980s. The journey was rough, tough, exhausting, dirty, uncomfortable and dangerous. Journalist Franklyn Wood reports that 'in the course of the one trip we are following, seven Britons died in accidents.' Among the physical hazards were icy mountain hairpins, unmade roads and desert sandstorms. Human hazards included Kamikaze coach drivers, robbers, mind-numbingly slow border controls, rogue police and the temptations of the drivers' favourite watering holes. The route led from Europe, through Turkey, Iraq (during its war with Iran) and on to the wealth and culture shock of Saudi Arabia. The cargoes were often worth a million pounds. Delivering them and returning home for the next load - this was the Olympics of truck driving. "Cola Cowboys" was originally published in 1982 when it proved extremely popular. It has been out of print for many years and has been reprinted by popular demand.

In January 2007, President Bush announced a surge of U.S. forces to Iraq to quell the ongoing insurgency and provide security for the Iraqi people. By June 2007, the aeroscouts of the 4-6 Air Cavalry Squadron deployed for their 15-month rotation in northern Iraq headquartered in Mosul. The Squadron executed combat operations across an area the size of New Jersey with the main effort focused on the violent insurgency in Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. It was one air cavalry troop's mission to secure the ground forces in Mosul; statistically the most violent city in Iraq and a location the insurgency called "the Final Battle."This is a combat story of A Troop "Thugs", 4-6 Air Cavalry Squadron and the courage, leadership, and bonds that join soldiers together. The Thug Scout Weapons Teams fought fiercely for 15 months and relentlessly pursued the insurgents in Mosul. As the success of the surge in Mosul grew, the Squadron joined the Thugs with aeroscouts from Blackdeath Troop and AH-64 Attack Weapons Teams "Wolfpack" to support the U.S. and Iraqi Army forces in finishing the enemy. Over 15 months the aircrews hunted IED emplacers and provided deadly fire support to troops in contact. The Thug's and Squadron's valorous combat actions added volumes to the history of the Air Cavalry.

Jim Owen leads a massively successful seminar that is in huge demand by financial groups, teachers' organizations, and professional associations. His first book, Cowboy Ethics, has sold more than 60,000 copies in two years. Now Owen continues his nonpartisan message, offering the legacy of the cowboy as a model of accessible, positive qualities that all can agree on, regardless of religion or political persuasion.

A riveting story of American fighting men, Outlaw Platoon is Lieutenant Sean Parnell’s stunning personal account of the legendary U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division’s heroic stand in the mountains of Afghanistan. Acclaimed for its vivid, poignant, and honest recreation of sixteen brutal months of nearly continuous battle in the deadly Hindu Kesh, Outlaw Platoon is a Band of Brothers or We Were Soldiers Once and Young for the early 21st century—an action-packed, highly emotional true story of enormous sacrifice and bravery. A magnificent account of heroes, renegades, infidels, and brothers, it stands with Sebastian Junger’s War as one of the most important books to yet emerge from the heat, smoke, and fire of America’s War in Afghanistan.

"A memoir of active combat by an elite female helicopter pilot stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan vividly describes her division's high-risk battles and the ways they were challenged to perform under extreme duress, sharing additional insights into her experiences as a woman in a male-dominated unit, "--NoveList.