Fireman First Class James L. Hull (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 21, 1898, on board the USS Concord. His citation reads:
On board the U.S.S. Concord off Cavite, Manila Bay, Philippine Islands, 21 May 1898. Following the blowing out of a lower manhole plate joint on boiler B of that vessel, Hull assisted in hauling the fires in the hot, vapor-filled atmosphere, which necessitated the playing of water into the fireroom from a hose.
First Lieutenant Charles F. Humphrey (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on July 11, 1877, at Clearwater, Idaho. His citation reads:
Voluntarily and successfully conducted, in the face of a withering fire, a party which recovered possession of an abandoned howitzer and 2 Gatling guns Iying between the lines a few yards from the Indians.
Private Fred O. Hunt (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from October 1876 to January 8, 1877, at Cedar Creek, etc., Montana. His citation reads:
Gallantry in actions.
Friends, as you all know, I love me some me. You also know that I love to read. In an effort to prepare for the I’m just sayin… Book Countdown coming next May, I have been trying to read as many books as possible. That’s not really any different from any other time as I am always reading some kind of book. Once I’m done with one, I pick up another one. Anyway, I just got done with a book and I can’t wait until next May to recommend it to you. The book is Alpha Threat: Germany’s Most Insidious World War II Plot by Ron Smoak. Here is what is on the back cover of the book:
The year is 1945. Germany is on her knees. The Allies are streaming into Germany from all sides. The end of World War II is near. Even so, some of Hitler's most secret plans are beginning to yield success. Some of these plans are familiar; some are not. Some are lost; others live only to rise again. This is a story steeped in truth…
It is a massive secret. One largely unknown to the Allies until well after the war ends. It is a secret that could potentially destroy the world's economy regardless of the war's outcome. It is the Third Reich's most closely held plan; even more secret than the German nuclear or rocket propulsion programs but as threatening nonetheless.
Sixty-six years later, Dana and Randall Finley are in the midst of an anthropology expedition in the rainforests of the Amazon when they are kidnapped by mysterious men in black and taken to a vast underground complex. Their situation is dire.
Back in Miami, Florida, former U.S. Navy SEAL Dane Skoglund stumbles across a sinister, shady group dealing in precious metals and death. When he learns his sister and brother-in-law are missing, Dane is drawn into action.
Unknown to all but a select few, the stronghold in the South American jungle is the key to Hitler's real goal to rule the world by destroying the world's economy. Dane follows the trail to this jungle lair to rescue his sister's group and encounters the Germans firsthand.
I need to be honest here… who am I kidding, I don’t need to be honest, this is my blog and I can lie as much as I’d like. Still, I’m going to be honest and tell you that Ronnie is my Dad’s cousin (and, thus, my second cousin… I think). I know him, but not well enough that I would feel the need to lie about his book just to be nice. I honestly loved this book. It’s a work of fiction, and like all good fiction it was easy to get lost in the story. I didn’t have any trouble “seeing” what he was talking about. The book isn’t too long (about 370, I think) and one thing I really LOVE about it is that it has short chapters. That may sound silly, but I don’t always have long periods of time to read so having short chapters makes it easier to find a good place to stop while I’m reading. This, in turn, makes it easier pick the book up later and not waste a lot of time trying to figure out what’s going on. This book has the 3 things a good book needs: 1. A good beginning; 2. A good middle; 3. A good ending. Maybe it was the short chapters, but I never felt like the book was dragging on. The story always seemed to be moving (without being rushed). I believe he is going to make this a series of books and honestly the only thing I think he could do to improve future books is to introduce a character named Greg. Don’t worry, I’ve already let him know that all good stories need a Greg. I’m not saying Greg has to be the main guy or even one of the good guys (though that would be nice)… all I ask is that if this Greg character has to die in one of the books, he not go out like a punk. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
Thankful Thursday
I really am thankful that this is a good book. I read a lot and while I usually do a pretty good job of picking books that I like, every now and then I read a book that just sucks. This was a book that I was going to read no matter what because it was written by a family member… so I bought it without really knowing a lot about it. I am thrilled that it was good and thankful that he is going to write more of them. I know this isn’t one of my “longer” Thankful Thursday posts, but that’s because I’ve already talked about the book. I think it was a great book… And for that, I am thankful.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment