What would the war do without me? We March at Midnight is award-winning author Ray McPadden’s chronicle of his experience as a highly decorated Ranger Officer leading some of the most dangerous missions during the height of the Iraq and Afghan wars. In 2005, Ray joined the army in search of what he calls “the moment”—a chance to prove to himself and his brothers in arms that he is a true leader. His job is to establish the first outpost in the Korengal, Afghanistan’s deadliest valley, and his decisions and mistakes will have a permanent impact on the men he commands. During the fifteen-month tour, his unit receives numerous decorations for valor while suffering nearly 50 percent casualties, ultimately accomplishing their mission in a land considered unwinnable. Prowess with a rifle platoon soon earns Ray a position in the world’s premiere raiding force, the 75th Ranger Regiment, an accomplishment earned by less than 1 percent of the officers in the US Army, and during the most combat-heavy period of the twenty-first century. Ray spearheads the first joint-strike force of Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, in a shadow war against the agents of a foreign government, where lightning raids by helicopter, armored vehicle, and foot are his nightly routine. In 2009, when Ray returns to the same corner of Afghanistan where his military career began, he suddenly finds himself tasked with leading Rangers against a target he knows all too well: the home of friends from his first tour. As he leads one last raid, Ray is at war with himself. Conquering this unexpected enemy proves the greatest challenge of all. We March at Midnight is a blood-spattered tour de force of growing up, leadership, the nature of war, and its aftermath.

78 hikes, including 4 backpacking trails Updated and expanded edition with several newly blazed trails Paths to scenic vistas, waterfalls, and natural wonders Detailed maps and first-hand descriptions of each hike Color photos of the region's remarkable beauty Essential information on duration, distance, difficulty, elevation, and highlights along the way

2011 National Historic Research and Preservation Award, Daughters of Colonial Wars. This novel, based on a true story, tells the long forgotten story of Hannah Hawks Scott, a woman whom Joseph Anderson called the most afflicted woman in all New England. Born to a soldier in King Philip's War, Hannah found herself caught in the inevitable clash of two cultures. Yet, she was not alone in her affliction. Drawing on many sources, the author weaves into Hannah's story the tale of a fictional Pequot boy whose life redefines the word "massacre." Spanning the 1637 attack on the Pequot Fort to the 1704 raid of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and through Queen Anne's War, this novel delivers a powerful examination of the conflict between Puritan colonists and the First Nations of North America. Follow the lives of Hannah and this young boy as they endure the nightmare of war ~ each struggling for family, each struggling for home.

A young professional family from the Midwest follows God's call to minister in a poverty pocket in northern Appalachia, where their expectations run headlong into the reality of mountain culture. Quirky characters, outhouses, horning parties, cow riding, quilting bees, maple sugarin'they all become part of the fascinating daily life of the Farleys as they work to rebuild a struggling church in a quaint hamlet of Riggs, Pennsylvania. Nothing thrills me more than stories of God working in big ways in small places. This is why Tales of the Endless Mountains is such a treasure! Every page contains riveting adventure, humor, and wisdom, all proclaiming God's amazing grace and power. It almost reads like a fictional account. (How could real life in a country church be so dramatic?!) Woven into the tales you will find boat-loads of encouragement, challenges to enlarge your faith, and superb ministry insightsin fact, more (and better!) advice than many books written expressly for that purpose, which qualifies it for a ministry primer. And, I am pleased that it all happened during the Farleys' years of exemplary service with RHMA! - Dr. Ron Klassen, Executive Director, Rural Home Missionary Association

Ray Ward¿s dramatic March Into The Endless Mountains ¿ 1778: The Beginnings of War on the Frontier of America, reconstructs the turbulent story of two cultures in clash and the adventures of a double spy who almost changed American history. Ward describes in vivid detail the battles spreading amid the mountains and along the Susquehanna River, westernmost boundary of Colonial settlement. Herein, much as are interwoven the strands of a tapestry, the author weaves a tapestry of unfolding events, narrating the loves, tragedies, espionage and, yes, terror that prevailed. The war is seen from several perspectives, Indian, Tory, frontiersman, and those with divided loyalty. All major characters are drawn from real life, including the beautiful Seneca Queen Esther Montour of French and Indian descent, and Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant, college educated, who led the warring Indian nations. The plot advances around Samuel Wallis, respected Philadelphian known as the `land king of Pennsylvania¿ because of his vast holdings on the frontier. To preserve his investment he would play both sides, serving Sir William Howe more faithfully that his other master General George Washington. He would become paymaster of Philadelphia¿s notorious spy-ring. About him swirls the military forays, pitched battles, wilderness ambushes, Indian confabs, Loyalist intrigue which makes this fast paced chronicle a compelling account of the bloody years 1778-79. Helpful to the reader is preface material and end notes. Sleep deprivation is a byproduct experienced by those opening the covers of this historical treatise.

This engaging book sketches compelling portraits of contemporary life in Guizhou, one of China's poorest provinces, more than fifty years after the Communist revolution promised to change the lives of the country's rural and urban dwellers. Through an exploration of local history, economic disparity, migrant labor, village life, civil society, education, poverty, local governance, enterprise reform, the rebirth of religion, and the new-found wealth of a privileged few, this perceptive study allows readers a unique glimpse into the lives and perspectives of China's hidden majority.