Born and raised in Mississippi, Peter K. Lutken, Jr. (1920–2014) joined the army in 1941 and was assigned to the Coast Artillery. Originally sent to India to guard airfields, he was reassigned to the British V Force, then the American OSS (Office of Strategic Services and precursor to the CIA) after he volunteered for reconnaissance missions behind Japanese lines. Skills he had learned as a boy in the backwoods and swamps around the Pearl River stood him in good stead, and by the end of the war, he attained the rank of major, commanding an entire battalion of ethnic Kachins and other local people of northern Burma (now called Myanmar). Lutken's stories carry the reader along as he sails on a troop ship to India, then treks into the mountainous jungles of northern Burma to gather intelligence and engage in guerrilla warfare with the Japanese. In his straightforward way, he describes how he learned the language of the Kachins and much about their customs and legends, and how he fought alongside them for the course of the war. Adventures of rafting uncharted rivers, surprise attacks, sabotage, natural hazards and disease, feasts and ceremonies, the plight of refugees, and tragic events of war are all told from the perspective of a young soldier, who finds himself half a world away from home. Based on hundreds of pages of transcripts from tapes recorded late in his life, A Thousand Places Left Behind recounts the untold story not just of one soldier’s experiences, but of the little-known history of American and British forces in Burma during World War II. Supported by original maps based on Lutken’s personal travels as well as photographs from his scrapbook, the book traces Lutken’s journey overseas, his expeditions into the jungle, and his return to Jackson, Mississippi in 1945. Beyond the war, Lutken’s connection with the Kachins culminated in “Project Old Soldier,” a crop exchange program which he and other veterans of OSS Detachment 101 initiated in the 1990s and which lasted until after his death in 2014. The book tells a remarkable story of bravery, friendship, history, and the unbreakable bonds forged in times of war.

"There are a great number of books written on World War II of Europe and the Pacific, far fewer on the war in Burma (Myanmar), sometimes called the "forgotten war." This unique book, A Thousand Places Left Behind, is a personal account of the experiences of Peter K. Lutken, Jr. (1920-2014), who served behind Japanese lines in Burma from 1942 to 1945. The narrative was compiled from a series of tapes that the family recorded of Pete telling his stories, as he had told them many times over the years. It begins with his enlistment in the army after graduating from Mississippi State in 1941 and follows through to his return home in August of 1945. Pete was born and raised in Mississippi and had never been out of the country before the war. His stories carry the reader along as he sails on a troop ship to India, then treks into the mountainous jungles of northern Burma to gather intelligence and engage in guerrilla warfare with the Japanese. In his straightforward way, he describes how he developed a strong bond with the Kachin people of northern Burma, how he learned their language, their customs, and way of life, and how he fought alongside them for the course of the war. Adventures of rafting uncharted rivers, successful and unsuccessful surprise attacks, jungle diseases, feasts and ceremonies, the plight of refugees, and tragic events of war are all told from the perspective of a young soldier, who finds himself half a world away from home. The epilogue includes a description of "Project Old Soldier," a program for Kachin farmers that Pete and his fellow American veterans of OSS detachment 101 (of the Office of Strategic Services) organized in the 1990s and maintained for many years, to repay the "debt of honor" they felt they owed to the Kachin people"--

A devastating ambush in Iraq, kidnapped soldiers, and the men who wouldn't leave their comrades behind The 10th Mountain Division is known as the most deployed unit in the U.S. Army. Today, the War on Terror has drawn it to Afghanistan and Iraq. To Lieutenant Colonel Mike Infanti's unit fell the pacification of a hellish hotbed of terrorism south of Baghdad dubbed "The Triangle of Death." Of the more than three thousand Americans killed since the start of the war, more than one thousand were in this region. Colonel Infanti assigned Delta Company to the most dangerous sector of the Triangle. Delta knew they were virtually assured of getting hit on a daily basis. Each day and night became something to be dreaded and feared. In the predawn of May 12, 2007, two humvees occupied by seven soldiers and an Iraqi translator were ambushed by insurgents. When the smoke cleared, four soldiers and the translator were dead and three were missing, presumably seized by the enemy. For more than a year, Delta searched for their missing comrades, never giving up hope. Their creed of battle: None Left Behind.

The world’s bestselling travel book is back in a more informative, more experiential, more budget-friendly full-color edition. A #1 New York Times bestseller, 1,000 Places reinvented the idea of travel book as both wish list and practical guide. As Newsweek wrote, it “tells you what’s beautiful, what’s fun, and what’s just unforgettable— everywhere on earth.” And now the best is better. There are 600 full-color photographs. Over 200 entirely new entries, including visits to 28 countries like Lebanon, Croatia, Estonia, and Nicaragua, that were not in the original edition. There is an emphasis on experiences: an entry covers not just Positano or Ravello, but the full 30-mile stretch along the Amalfi Coast. Every entry from the original edition has been readdressed, rewritten, and made fuller, with more suggestions for places to stay, restaurants to visit, festivals to check out. And throughout, the book is more budget-conscious, starred restaurants and historic hotels such as the Ritz,but also moderately priced gems that don’t compromise on atmosphere or charm. The world is calling. Time to answer.

All 12 books in the New York Times bestselling series! Over 63 million copies sold! Are you ready for the moment of truth? Mass disappearances Political crisis Economic crisis Worldwide epidemics Environmental catastrophe Military apocalypse And that’s just the beginning . . . of the end of the world. “This is the most successful Christian-fiction series ever.” —Publishers Weekly “Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins . . . are doing for Christian fiction what John Grisham did for courtroom thrillers.” —Time “Combines Tom Clancy–like suspense with touches of romance, high-tech flash, and biblical references.” —New York Times “Wildly popular—and highly controversial.” —USA Today “Call it what you like, the Left Behind series . . . now has a label its creators could have never predicted: blockbuster success.” —Entertainment Weekly Contains the following titles: #1: Left Behind #2: Tribulation Force #3: Nicolae #4: Soul Harvest #5: Apollyon #6: Assassins #7: The Indwelling #8: The Mark #9: Desecration #10: The Remnant #11: Armageddon #12: Glorious Appearing

The New Brother's Grimm examines the twelve volumes of the very popular Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, relating the story and the theological arguments of each book and then challenging those arguments. One of the centerpieces of their interpretation of the Bible is that the church of Christ will be raptured to be with Christ for seven years. During that time people who have been left behind will have an opportunity to accept Christ as savior, but they will have to pass through the tribulation'a time of unimaginable horror with Satan ruling the world. At its end, Christ will appear with his heavenly army and defeat the forces of Antichrist in the battle of Armageddon. After that Christ will establish an earthly kingdom lasting exactly 1000 years, during which Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit. Ultimately, the author suggests that the theological premises set forth in the series are at best dubious and at worst theological snake oil.