With every step, the Tomb Guards pay homage to America’s fallen. Discover their story, and that of the unknown soldiers they honor, through resonant words and illustrations. Keeping vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Arlington National Cemetery, are the sentinel guards, whose every step, every turn, honors and remembers America’s fallen. They protect fellow soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, making sure they are never alone. To stand there—with absolute precision, in every type of weather, at every moment of the day, one in a line uninterrupted since midnight July 2, 1937—is the ultimate privilege and the most difficult post to earn in the army. Everything these men and women do is in service to the Unknowns. Their standard is perfection. Exactly how the unnamed men came to be entombed at Arlington, and exactly how their fellow soldiers have come to keep vigil over them, is a sobering and powerful tale, told by Jeff Gottesfeld and luminously illustrated by Matt Tavares—a tale that honors the soldiers who honor the fallen.

To have a son adopt his father's dream as his own is rare. But that is exactly what Rod Strong does when in 2006 he enlists in the Army to join The Old Guard. Serving as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery is all his father ever wants, until he dies in the Gulf War. Now Rod decides to honor his father by taking his place. He forges ahead, naively believing sheer will and hard work is all he needs. As he perseveres through Basic Training and Ranger School at Fort Benning, self-doubt begins to plague him. Still, holding firm to his father's goal, he overcomes hurdles he never anticipates. Finally he reaches the legendary 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer, the home of The Old Guard, with his goal in sight. Then an unexpected deployment to Afghanistan derails his plans and when a firefight erupts, Rod confronts an overwhelming obstacle that threatens to defeat him completely.

Attention! Learn more about your military now! Does a corporal have to salute a lieutenant or is it the other way around? What are forward-deployed units? Is an "armored cow" a type of tank or something soldiers eat? Are Polaris missiles dropped from the air or launched from a submarine? If someone calls you a "Cat 4" should you be honored or offended? Do you feel lost when it comes to all things military? Sure, you hear things on the news and maybe you know someone who is in the military, but you probably have a hard time fully grasping the acronyms, equipment, and protocol they discuss. That's where A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military can help. Author Barbara Schading decodes all things military for you. She discusses each branch—Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard—in simple terms you can understand. You'll get the background information, an easy-to-read chart showing rank and insignia, and an explanation of the organization of each branch. In addition, the book has extensive glossaries that cover terms, acronyms, slang, and equipment. You'll find an entire chapter that covers special operations forces like the Green Berets, Force Recons, Army Rangers, and more. You'll learn about their specific training, missions, and history. The book also covers other important aspects of the military like: • flag and saluting etiquette • military funerals • the Tombs of the Unknown • the American Legion, USO, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other groups • military law • military academies • medals and decorations • official military music • an explanation of the Geneva Convention • and a list of resources to help you find more information So the next time you read the paper or talk with a new recruit, you don't have to feel lost. Become a knowledgeable civilian with the help of A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military.

This moving tribute to veterans and America’s fallen follows a young boy on his first trip to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On the last day of their Washington, DC, vacation, Jack and his family visit a cemetery. Jack finds it boring, but as they watch the guard patrolling the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, his perspective shifts. He learns about the monument, the sentinels, and why it is they keep watch. Jack develops a newfound respect for those who serve and an appreciation for the honor and bravery of veterans. Includes back matter about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and those who guard it.

If you've been around as long as I have, you probably remember the songs of singer-songwriter Jim Croce. He grew up in South Philly, watching performances of Fats Domino and the Coasters on TV's American Bandstand. He looked like a tough guy, but everyone who knew him said he has a big, warm fun-loving heart. Jim Croce spent the first decade of his adult life toiling in a series of day jobs: teaching emotionally disturbed children, working in a hospital, driving trucks, operating a jackhammer at construction sites. At night, he would sing and play guitar in coffeehouses. He wasn't waiting for his big break- he was hustling for it. When he was twenty-nine, Jim Croce finally landed his first recording contract. His first album, You Don't Mess Around With Jim, was completed quickly, many of the songs being recorded in just one or two takes. Once the album was released, Croce's music, an acoustic blend of folk and rock, caught on fast. The first two singles released from that album quickly became number one hits on AM radio, and Jim Croce became a star. His long- delayed dream had finally come true. His first two hits were upbeat roack ballads. His record company decided to release a third song from the album-a soft plaintive song called "Time in a Bottle". It was about how precious each moment of life is and how quickly those moments pass, never to come again. The song wistfully recounted the things Croce would do if only he could keep time in a bottle and pour out extra hours whenever he needed them. Before "Time in a Bottle" could be released, Jim Croce proved that the words of that song were truer than he realized. On September 20, 1973, after performing in a concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Lousiana, Croce boarded a small chartered plane along with a flight crew and members of his band. The heavily loaded plane clipped a tree as it took off. Like Croce's career, the plane had barely gotten off the ground before it crashed. Jim croce was dead at age thirty. We can't save time in a bottle, and we never know how much time we have left. We tend to think about the rest of our lives in terms of years and decades. The truth is the rest of our lives might be measured in hours or even minutes. So we need to make the most of each moment we have.

Ancestry magazine focuses on genealogy for today’s family historian, with tips for using Ancestry.com, advice from family history experts, and success stories from genealogists across the globe. Regular features include “Found!” by Megan Smolenyak, reader-submitted heritage recipes, Howard Wolinsky’s tech-driven “NextGen,” feature articles, a timeline, how-to tips for Family Tree Maker, and insider insight to new tools and records at Ancestry.com. Ancestry magazine is published 6 times yearly by Ancestry Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com.

Death. It’s not only inevitable and frightening, it’s intriguing and fascinating–especially today, when science continues to make ever more stunning advances in the investigation of the oldest and darkest of mysteries. To discover the how and why of death, unearth its roots, and expose the mechanics of its grim handiwork is, at least in some sense, to master it. And in the process, if a criminal can be caught or closure found, so much the better. Enter Robert Mann, forensic anthropologist, deputy scientific director of the U.S. government’s Central Identification Laboratory, and, some might say, the Sherlock Holmes of death detectives. When the dead reveal some of their most sensational, macabre, and poignant tales, more often than not it’s Mann who’s been listening. Now, in this remarkable casebook, he offers an in-depth behind-the-scenes portrait of his sometimes gruesome, frequently dangerous, and always compelling profession. In cases around the world, Mann has been called upon to unmask killers with nothing but the bones of their victims to guide him, draw out clues that restore identities to the nameless dead, recover remains thought to be hopelessly lost, and piece together the events that can unlock the truth behind the most baffling deaths. The infamous 9/11 terror attacks, which killed thousands; the unplanned killing that inaugurated serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer’s grisly spree; mysterious military fatalities from World War II to the Cold War to Vietnam, including the amazing case of the Vietnam War’s Unknown Soldier–all the fascinating stories are here, along with photos from the author’s personal files. Mystery hangings, mass graves, errant body parts, actual skeletons in closets, and a host of homicides steeped in bizarre clues and buried secrets–they’re all in a day’s work for one dedicated detective whose job begins when a life ends.