Central Skagit Library District

"What turns an ordinary person into a hero? What happens in the blink of an eye on a battlefield (or in any dangerous situation) to bring out true courage? The men and women who have been recognized by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation know the answers to these questions deep in their hearts"--Amazon.com.

"At age twenty-four, Winston Churchill was utterly convinced it was his destiny to become prime minister of England one day, despite the fact he had just lost his first election campaign for Parliament. He believed that to achieve his goal he must do something spectacular on the battlefield. Despite deliberately putting himself in extreme danger as a British Army officer in colonial wars in India and Sudan, and as a journalist covering a Cuban uprising...

Inspired by the real women of the Women's Air Raid Defense, this extraordinary novel follows Daisy Wilder as she, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, enlists in a top secret program for civilians in the military, which takes her to wartime Hawaii where she finds love, courage, strength, and sisterhood. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Daisy Wilder enlists in a top secret program, replacing male soldiers in a war zone for the first time. Under fear...

Two couples torn apart-one by war between countries, one by war within. In this moving sequel to Even Now, Emily Anderson, now twenty, is attending college on a soccer scholarship when she meets the man who changes everything for her: Army reservist Justin Baker. Their tender relationship, founded on a mutual faith in God and nurtured by their trust and love for each other, proves to be a shining inspiration to everyone they know, especially Emily's...

THE HEART AND THE FIST shares one man’s story of extraordinary leadership and service as both a humanitarian and a warrior. In a life lived at the raw edges of the human experience, Greitens has seen what can be accomplished when compassion and courage come together in meaningful service.

As a Rhodes Scholar and Navy SEAL, Greitens worked alongside volunteers who taught art to street children in Bolivia and led US Marines who hunted

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"Members of the Armed Forces come from all over the United States. These citizens choose to serve their country by fighting for it. Some are sailors on the high seas. Some fly airplanes. Others fight on the ground with tanks and guns. But there is much more to service than just fighting. This book looks at the civic responsibility of service where ordinary men and women sign up to defend their country. Using an inquiry based approach, students will...

Tragedy has struck His Majesty's Aerial Corps, as an epidemic of unknown origin and no known cure is decimating the dragons' ranks. Only Temeraire and a pack of newly recruited dragons remain uninfected and must stand as the only means of airborne defense against France's ever bolder sorties. As Bonaparte's dragons harrow Britain's ships, Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence, take wing to Africa in search of a cure for the deadly contagion.

Larkin Bennett has always known her place, whether it's surrounded by her loving family in the lush greenery of the Pacific Northwest, or riding on a dusty convoy in Afghanistan. But all that changed the day tragedy struck her unit and took away everything she held dear. Soon after, Larkin discovers an unexpected treasure: the diary of Emily Wilson, a young woman who disguised herself as a man to fight for the Union in the Civil War. As Larkin struggles...

The United Nations created the novel concept of "soldiers for peace." But can peace be enforced militarily? The original mission of the United Nations was "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" by maintaining peace and security between states. Now that terrorists and internal conflicts strike are more common than traditional wars between countries, what does international security mean? In a rapidly changing world, much changed from...

Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, Beaufort chronicles the final days of an Israeli army unit's tense, painful withdrawal in 2000 from a strategic bunker inside a 12th century Crusader fortress near the Lebanese border, marking the end of nearly two decades of controversial occupation.