NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL FILM! When a soldier with a troubled past and a struggling songwriter agree to a marriage of convenience for the military benefits, neither expects much after saying “I do.” Then tragedy strikes, and the line between what’s real and what’s pretend begins to blur in this smart and surprising romance perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks and Jojo Moyes. Cassie Salazar and Luke Morrow couldn’t be more different. Sharp-witted Cassie works nights at a bar in Austin, Texas to make ends meet while pursuing her dream of becoming a singer/songwriter. Luke is an Army trainee, about to ship out for duty, who finds comfort in the unswerving discipline of service. But a chance encounter at Cassie’s bar changes the course of both their lives. Cassie is drowning in medical bills after being diagnosed with diabetes. When she runs into her old friend Frankie, now enlisted in the Army, she proposes a deal: she’ll marry him in exchange for better medical insurance and they can split the increased paycheck that comes with having a “family.” When Frankie declines, his attractive but frustratingly intense friend Luke volunteers to marry Cassie instead. What she doesn’t know is that he has desperate reasons of his own to get married. In this unforgettable love story, Cassie and Luke must set aside their differences to make it look like a real marriage...unless, somewhere along the way, it becomes one...

When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero. There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together. Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad—Justin, Wolf, and Charlene—the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed. National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.

A Purple Heart is the token honor given to soldiers for their wounds, it makes, them heroes. It is the title that Nina Berman has given to her photographs of American soldiers gravely wounded in the Iraq war, who have returned home to face life away from the waving flags and heroic send-offs. The images are accompanied by first-person interviews with the soldiers, who discuss their lives, reasons for enlisting, and experience in Iraq. They provide a glimpse into the myths of warfare as glorious spectacle through the minds of young men desperate to believe in the righteousness of their actions. One soldier explains that he always wanted to be a hero. He thought the military would be fun--he would jump out of planes. He never imagined it could be ugly until he saw "Saving Private Ryan. He is now a cripple, doped up all day on pain medications, flat broke, with one kid and another on the way. Another soldier describes how he called a recruiting station after watching an MTV-style commercial for the Army on TV.,An immigrant from Pakistan, he was given his citizenship following his injury. It's a fair trade in his mind: a leg for an American passport.

More than one million men and women have received the Purple Heart since its creation as an award “for military merit” in 1932. This book provides a brief history of the Purple Heart, with a focus on how the decoration’s award criteria have evolved over the last 75 years. The book then takes a representative look at Purple Heart recipients from all the services by conflict, starting with the Civil War and concluding with the on-going conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

An excellent, richly illustrated, account of the bloodiest phase of the Italian campaign. Here is a report—in pictures and in words—of exactly what happened to our men during the bitterest phases of the Italian campaign. This report is not based upon a hurried visit behind the lines; Margaret Bourke-White spent a full five months on the Italian front photographing, questioning, observing, and living in close association with our troops. She was not content to remain safely behind the combat area. She flew over the German lines and narrowly escaped being shot down. On the ground she came closer to the enemy lines than any woman has been before the most advanced American post around Cassino.

During the Second World War, 291,577 men and women of the United States armed forces were killed in action in the fight against the Axis powers. Each of these service members was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal in recognition for the loss of their lives in the pursuit of worldwide freedom. Over the last seven decades, all but a few of these brave men and women have been forgotten. Subsequently, many of their Purple Hearts languished in attics and drawers for years before being donated to museums, surfacing at estate sales, or sold by families to people eager to rediscover their lost history. With the goal of educating and deepening the appreciation of the medal for families, historians, museums, and collectors, this book serves as a tangible reminder of ultimate sacrifice, providing a visual guide to Purple Heart medal and those who earned it. Through the biographies of over three hundred men who were awarded the Purple Heart after they were killed in action, this book conveys the meaning and importance of this medal and what it represents. Additionally, the variations, types, engraving styles, and manufacturing differences are examined at a level of detail never before published to give the reader a full appreciation of the development of the medal and how it changed over time to become the medal we know today. Sacrifice Remembered is a key reference across the historical research spectrum: from museums maintaining Purple Hearts in their collections to historians, researchers, and collectors seeking to appreciate essential details about the medal.Most importantly, families searching to discover their genealogical history will gain a better understanding of the tremendous sacrifices made by those who came before them.

There have been several books written by and about service members that have served during the Iraq War. "The Immeasurable Spirit: Lessons of a Wounded Warrior about Faith and Perseverance," was superbly written by an author with the personal insight and experience of a person who has faced and overcome tremendous adversity. Latoya Lucas brings us face to face with our inner- selves while simultaneously sharing her experiences of perseverance and faith even after suffering severe wounds from her service with the U.S. Army in Iraq. Why is it that some people are able to overcome their fears and persevere through life's adversities? By reading Latoya's story, you will come to understand how a person with faith and determination could rely on that faith when tested during an unbelievable hardship. Tom Brokaw, journalist and NY Times bestselling author, says "The Immeasurable Spirit" is a remarkable story of patriotism, courage, near death, recovery and inspiration."