When Sergeant Major Iron Mike D. Mervosh enters a room, he instantly becomes the center of attention as younger Marines crowd around him to listen to his stories and have their photos taken with him. He is an icon Marine who served thirty-five years in the Marine Corps and ultimately became the most senior enlisted man in all the armed services. In Hardcore Iron Mike, author Gregg Stoner tells Iron Mikes story, the story of an Iwo Jima conqueror. A combination of anecdotes gained from interviews of Iron Mike and commentary and background information from Stoner, this memoir tells about Iron Mikes early years growing up in Pittsburgh in the Great Depression and how he decided to join the Marine Corps when the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbor. It shares the highlights of the storied Marines combat years where he served in three wars. Including a collection of letters and stories by various Marine comrades, Hardcore Iron Mike narrates the story of a man who served his fellow soldiers and his country with bravery, valor, and pride.

What does it feel like to fall through a flaming table for the very first time? Or the umpteenth time for that matter. In the fresh off-the-cuff style that has earned him legions of admirers and made his previous wrestling books massive worldwide bestsellers, Foley gives readers a blow-by-blow first-hand account of exactly what it is like to step into the wrestling ring. As a champion wrestler he was known both for his tenacity in the ring and for the fearlessness which led him to take extraordinary risks in any number of groundbreaking dangerous stunts. And as an industry insider he offers a unique perspective on what it was like to perform at that level which readers will never find anywhere else. In HARDCORE DIARIES Mick Foley will take fans right inside a hardcore match, vividly recreating his experiences, and revealing how mentally and physically preparing for this extremely challenging sport has helped him become the legend he is today.

This book is broken down into two basic parts. Part one is how the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol makes a difference in people’s lives due to their daily duties as volunteers with the San Diego Police Department. The everyday duties of RSVP’s are described in detail by providing interesting stories about each of the categories of jobs. Gregg and his wife Melody set no limits for their time spent going over-and-above volunteer requirements. Part two is about the special equipped license plate reader car that was used exclusively by the author in finding stolen cars, stolen license plates, and cars wanted for felony crimes. Gregg and Melody spent every available moment of their patrol time seeking stolen cars, and in the process became the most successful of all the RSVP volunteers at finding stolen cars setting a record for stolen car recoveries that will probably never be beat.

It’s 1967, and Bob Cruz and Dave Ford have been best friends since they met in the third grade at grammar school eleven years ago. Just finishing their freshman year at a community college, they have a mutual interest in guns and hunting, and they spend every available minute hunting in the fields outside their hometown of Fresno, California. The Vietnam War is in full swing and Bob and Dave know it’s just a matter of time before they’re drafted and sent overseas. They decide to enlist in the Marine Corps through the buddy system. Unlike most young men, their desire to become Marines and go to Vietnam is combined with a strong desire to kill the enemy Viet Cong. Avid hunters, they have a perverse desire to kill people before entering boot camp so they can determine if they have what it takes to be killers. Bob and Dave concoct what they believe is a foolproof plan. But their perfect murder has flaws that result in a living nightmare.

When the Americans invaded the Japanese-controlled islands of Saipan and Tinian in 1944, civilians and combatants committed mass suicide to avoid being captured. Though these mass suicides have been mentioned in documentary films, they have received scant scholarly attention. This book draws on United States National Archives documents and photographs, as well as veteran and survivor testimonies, to provide readers with a better understanding of what happened on the two islands and why. The author details the experiences of the people of the islands from prehistoric times to the present, with an emphasis on the Japanese, Okinawan, Korean, Chamorro and Carolinian civilians during invasion and occupation.

Youth Culture and Sport critically interrogates and challenges contemporary articulations of race, class, gender, and sexual relations circulating throughout popular iterations of youth sporting culture in late-capitalism. Written against the backdrop of important changes in social, cultural, political, and economic dynamics taking place in corporate culture’s war on kids, this exciting new volume marks the first anthology to critically examine the intersection of youth culture and sport in an age of global uncertainty. Bringing together leading scholars from cultural studies, gender studies, sociology, sport studies, and related fields, chapters range in scope from 'action' sport subcultures and community redevelopment programs to the cultural politics of white masculinity and Nike advertising. It is a must read for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the role sport plays in the construction of experiences, identities, practices, and social differences of contemporary youth culture.

This multilayered study of the representation of black masculinity in musical and cultural performance takes aim at the reduction of African American male culture to stereotypes of deviance, misogyny, and excess. Broadening the significance of hip-hop culture by linking it to other expressive forms within popular culture, Miles White examines how these representations have both encouraged the demonization of young black males in the United States and abroad and contributed to the construction of their identities. From Jim Crow to Jay-Z traces black male representations to chattel slavery and American minstrelsy as early examples of fetishization and commodification of black male subjectivity. Continuing with diverse discussions including black action films, heavyweight prizefighting, Elvis Presley's performance of blackness, and white rappers such as Vanilla Ice and Eminem, White establishes a sophisticated framework for interpreting and critiquing black masculinity in hip-hop music and culture. Arguing that black music has undeniably shaped American popular culture and that hip-hop tropes have exerted a defining influence on young male aspirations and behavior, White draws a critical link between the body, musical sound, and the construction of identity.