"Iraq! The murder and mayhem of this Middle East mosaic are David Mays' motifs in this Mesopotamian masterwork. The writer's microscope moves mercilessly to inspect the human microbes brought to the surface in the time since the invasion of that country in 2003. We meet the ruthless religious fanatic who sees it as his duty to cut the throats of women whose working lives aid the community: the aimless young man who finds hope in suicide for Al Qa'eda: the persecutor of Christians: the cynical warlords manipulating these people in the pursuit of their own power lust. Yet are there no good guys? Are there only microbes in the bog that is Baghdad? No. There is the dogged courage of the U.S. service personnel who believe that their mission is to make good out of evil. There is the ordinary Iraqi, trying to make a living, sometimes surviving, sometimes not, the murderous machinations of those around him. A two-part delineation of the real Iraq, David Mays' book is a necessary primer for those who wish to understand this war-riven country of Heroes -and more." --Denis Frize, University Professor-U.K., M.A., B. A., (Hons.), P.G. C. E. Author Bio: David W. Mays lives in Denton, Texas. "My motivation was seeing the local Iraqi people, who literally put their lives on the line every day, to be able to go to work with the Americans and feed their families. Many lived and prospered working with the Coalition forces and some lost their lives. I have not seen such bravery in my lifetime." He is writing his next thriller. http: //davidmaysbooks.wordpress.com/ http: //www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3374392 http: //www.davidwmays.com Publisher's website: http: //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/Iraq-HeroesAndMore.html

Valor features the thrilling stories that are the fruit of Mark Lee Greenblatt’s interviews with brave American servicemen from twenty-first-century wars. These soldiers, sailors, and Marines have risked their lives several times over for their country as well as for their fellow troops and civilians. Still, until now, their stories have largely gone unnoticed by the public, perhaps lost in the frenzied and often nasty debate surrounding those conflicts. As the author writes, “This generation does not have an Audie Murphy. I set out to change that with this book.” Detailing incredible and evocative feats—including an Army pilot who rescued two fellow pilots from a deadly crash in hostile territory and strapped himself to the helicopter’s exterior for the flight to the hospital—Greenblatt provides glimpses into the minds of these men as they face gut-wrenching decisions and overcome enormous odds. However, this book is much more than tales of riveting action. Each chapter goes beyond linear combat stories to explore each hero’s motivations, dreams, and the genuine emotions that were evoked in the face of extreme danger. Readers will be transported to a variety of settings—from close-quarters urban fighting in Iraq to mountainside ambushes in rural Afghanistan to a midnight rescue in the middle of the Atlantic—as they accompany the men who do not see themselves as heroes but as patriots in the line of duty.

Sergeant Major Devaney’s They Were Heroes presents moving portraits of warriors who have not been fully celebrated. His stories recognize the heroism of those who fought in these deadly conflicts and placed their lives at risk to assure the safety of their fellow Marines. For these Marines, no Medal of Honor is enough for their bravery. Nonetheless, though not his main purpose, Devaney calls attention to the practice of awarding medals itself, that often these warriors received awards that were below what their deeds merited. No less disturbing is the revelation that medals were often awarded by rank, and not always by action. The lives presented in Devaney’s book call attention to the fact that many heroes of these deadly conflicts have gone unrecognized.

Baghdad, 2003. The reign of Saddam Hussein is over. The Americans are in command. And no one is in control. Former cop turned military contractor Christopher Henry knows that better than anyone. He’s in the country to train up a new Iraqi police force, and one of his recruits has just been murdered. With civil authority in tatters and dead bodies clogging the streets, Chris is the only person in the Green Zone with any interest in finding out who killed him-and why. Chris’ inquiry brings him first to Sofia, an American-raised Iraqi who now sits on the governing council, and then to Nassir, a grizzled veteran of Saddam’s police force-and probably the last real investigator left in Baghdad. United by death but divided by conflicting loyalties, the three must help each other navigate the treacherous landscape of post-invasion Iraq in order to hunt down the killers. But are their efforts really serving justice-or a much darker agenda? Inspired by his real-life experiences as a CIA operations officer in Iraq, writer Tom King (BATMAN) teams with artist Mitch Gerads to deliver a wartime crime thriller like no other in THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON VOL. 1: BANG. BANG. BANG., collecting issues #1-6 of their groundbreaking Vertigo series.

How American fiction represents soldiers--and soldier criminality--in depictions of the Iraq War

Firsthand accounts from of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan from decorated soldiers of all branches of the military capture front-line stories of combat, courage under fire, and heroism on the battlefield.

Haditha Diary is a novel of the Iraq War set in an infamous town. Heroic, yet human, Americans fought a controversial war to uproot totalitarianism, blunt Islamofacism, and give the gift of hope. The under-recognized Christian faith of American heroes underpins the courage of fighting men in Haditha Diary. Beginning in 2002, Haditha Diary presents the story of the war through 2008. The setting is real, the story reflects actual events, and the names of heroes have been changed to protect people still fighting terrorism. Espionage, frontal assaults, and dirty-tricks culminate in a suspenseful ending when a "U.N. Mandate" floods a recently secured town with Al Queda terrorists who face off against the Marines. Treachery and patriotism abound in this thriller where battles and characters are barely fictional and always closer to the truth than the evening news. J.D. Cowart accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior in 1977. Called to serve and protect, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1991 and completed the USMC enlisted School of Infantry. After Meritorious Promotion to Corporal, he was commissioned an Officer of Marines. Cowart served as an Artillery Officer until 1999. He joined the Texarkana Police Department where he became a detective after three years. He was activated from the Marine Reserves in 2003 and made a Company Commander. He later completed the Marines' three-month Infantry Officers Course. The author began a second company command tour in 2005 and started preparing his Marines for the meat grinder that was the Iraq War. He earned a Bronze Star while serving as a USMC Infantry Company Commander in the notorious Haditha AO. "I thank God for the privilege of serving," he says. The author currently attends Trinity Baptist Church in Texarkana, Arkansas with his wife, Amanda and their two children, Fayeth and John Asher.