Small though they were, PT boats played a key role in World War II, carrying out an astonishing variety of missions where fast, versatile, and strongly armed vessels were needed. Called "weapons of opportunity," they met the enemy at closer quarters and with greater frequency than any other type of surface craft. Among the most famous PT commanders was John F. Kennedy, whose courageous actions in the Pacific are now well known to the American public. The author of the book, another distinguished PT boat commander in the Pacific, compiled this history of PT-boat operations in World War II for the U.S. Navy shortly after V-J Day, when memories were fresh and records easily assessable. The book was first made available to the public in 1962 after Kennedy's inauguration as president of the United States interest in PTs was at a peak. Bulkley provides a wealth of facts about these motor torpedo boats, whose vast range of operation covered two oceans as well as the Mediterranean and the English Channel. Although their primary mission was to attack surface ships and craft close to shore, they were also used effectively to lay mines and smoke screens, to rescue downed aviators, and to carry out intelligence and raider operations. The author gives special attention to the crews, paying well-deserved tribute to their heroism, skill, and sacrifice that helped to win the war.

From the moment his first novel was published, Larry Heinemann joined the ranks of the great chroniclers of the Vietnam conflict--Philip Caputo, Tim O’Brien, and Gustav Hasford.In the stripped-down, unsullied patois of an ordinary soldier, draftee Philip Dosier tells the story of his war. Straight from high school, too young to vote or buy himself a drink, he enters a world of mud and heat, blood and body counts, ambushes and firefights. It is here that he embarks on the brutal downward path to wisdom that awaits every soldier. In the tradition of Naked and the Dead and The Thin Red Line, Close Quarters is the harrowing story of how a decent kid from Chicago endures an extraordinary trial-- and returns profoundly altered to a world on the threshold of change.

Below Deck meets Billionaire Romance in this fresh and captivating romance set on a megayacht in the Mediterranean... My boyfriend's billionaire boss always gets what he wants. Menacingly handsome and unquestionably powerful, Theo Whitman need only snap his fingers to have a flock of supermodels fall at his feet. So when his steel gray eyes first meet mine, I expect him to pass right over me, to not give so much as a second thought to my presence. Instead, he sees me. Truly sees me. And for a girl who prefers to hide behind her camera lens, it's the most unnerving experience of my life. Until he asks me to stay on his yacht for the summer. All I have to do to earn my keep is be Theo's on-call photographer when he has guests, and I'll get a free ride through the Mediterranean with my boyfriend. Easy peasy. Still, my skin prickles in warning when I say yes. As the humid days fade into balmy nights, I can't seem to avoid Theo. And when he finds me, it's like a rabbit running into a wolf. His intense gaze immobilizes me. The way he speaks strips me bare. Every brush of his skin sears me like a violent flame. My boyfriend's billionaire boss always gets what he wants. And this time, I think he wants me.

The Beqa'a Valley in east Lebanon is home for many of the most revolutionary groups of the Palestinian guerrilla war against Israel, a dangerous, closed valley to which unauthorised access is virtually impossible, where capture by the Syrian Army results in torture and death. Holt, a diplomat, and Noah Crane, Israeli master-sniper, mentor and guide, plan to walk by night into the noose of the valley's fortifications to find one man. Holt alone can identify him, the subject of an act of vengeance by the British, who mean to display their strength in the face of terrorism. To Israeli Intelligence it is a mission of suicidal folly. Holt and Crane are far into the Beqa'a, out of reach, unrecoverable, then their cover is blown and Syrian Intelligence alerted to their approach.

Peter Holt a young diplomat witnesses the horrific murder of his fiance and the British Ambassador within days of a new posting to the Soviet Union. The report of the murder lands on the desk of a British Intelligence officer who suspects Palestinian involvement althought the Russians insist that it was not a terrorist attack. The British government is determined to exact revenge and Holt is the only man able to identify the assassin. He is sent to the Lebanon and the perilous Beqa'a Valley which serves as a stronghold for the most extreme guerilla groups. Unauthorised access to the valley is virtually impossible and capture by the Syrian Army would result in torture and death. His only company is Noah Crane an Israeli expert sniper who acts as his mentor and guide. But when Syrian Intelligence learns of their presence their cover is blown. And now it is too late to turn back.