Book Inventory

My reading journey: four finished, one in my hands, two waiting on the nightstand.

Title Author Category Status Rate
Alone at Dawn

Format: Print
Source: Barnes & Noble
Priority Rank: 1

A close look at the heroic actions of John Chapman, a Special Ops Combat Controller, who earned the Medal of Honor after sacrificing his life to save the lives of twenty-thee comrades.

Dan Schilling & Lori Chapman Longfritz Military Biography In Progress
One Man In

Format: Print
Source: Bought on Amazon
Priority Rank: 2

A firsthand account of the events of the twenty-two hour long terrorist attack on 15 Jan 2019, on a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya that claimed the lives of 21, but one man, Christain Craighead rescued over 700.

Christian Craighead Military Memoir To Read
Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor

Format: Print
Source: Bought on Amazon
Priority Rank: 3

A gripping Medal of Honor story about a fight at Command Outpost Keating in Afghanistan 2009 and the brotherhood that carried a platoon through a fourteen-hour battle.

Clinton Romesha Military Memoir To Read
13 Hours in Benghazi

Format: Print
Source: Borrowed From A Friend
Priority Rank: 4

If you want to understand what really happened the night of the Benghazi attack on 11 Sep 2011, this book recounts the tragedy of those thirteen hours.

Mitchell Zuckoff Modern Military History / Clinton Failure Read
American Sniper

Format: Print
Source: Bought Years Ago
Priority Rank: 5

The autobiography of the most lethal sniper in U.S. history, honest about both the missions and the toll they took on Chris Kyle before tragically being killed while helping a troubled veteran.

Chris Kyle Military Memoir Read
82 Days on Okinawa

Format: Print
Source: Gift From Grandpa
Priority Rank: 6

A day-by-day look at one of the Pacific War's bloodiest battles, told through the voices of the people who fought it.

COL. Art Shaw World War II History Read
The Pacific War

Format: Print
Source: Gift From Grandpa
Priority Rank: 7

A clear, big-picture view of the war in the Pacific. This book reveals each of the major battles that America would fight in the ensuing struggle against Imperial Japan, from the naval clashes at Midway and Coral Sea to the desperate, bloody fighting on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Captain Dale Dye World War II History Read

Why These Books?

I chose these books because I am drawn to true stories about service, courage, and what war actually costs the people in it. Half of my list is World War II history and the other half is modern military memoir, so together they cover growth, leadership, and respect for the people who served. Reading about real missions, from Okinawa to Benghazi, helps me understand history through the people who lived it and sacrified so much.

Alone at Dawn comes first because I am already in the middle of it. One Man In is next because I have heard both of Christian Craigheads accounts of the event on a podcast, but I want to read it as well. Red Platoon follows it because it is another firsthand story of how couragous men can be even when the odds are stacked against them.