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Posted on Oct 12, 2015 in Books and Movies, Front Page Features

Tough As They Come – Book Review

Tough As They Come – Book Review

Tough As They Come. SSG Travis Mills with Marcus Brotherton.  Convergent Books. 272 pages.  Hard cover. $25.00   The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have generated some incredible personal stories of courage and determination.  These stories highlight the power of the human spirit and have undoubtedly inspired many who have struggled with their own challenges.  One Soldier’s story which clearly has touched and effected many is that of SSG Travis Mills.  His story and his ability to face an incredible challenge will now be known and appreciated by a far greater audience with the release of his outstanding book, Tough As They Come. For those unfamiliar with the challenge Mills has faced, it is a significant to say the least.  During his third deployment to Afghanistan, while conducting a patrol, Mills set his backpack on the ground.  This touched off an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which immediately made him a triple amputee.  A few days later, while in the hospital, his remaining limb was removed.  Incredibly, Mills survived making...

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Posted on Oct 12, 2015 in Books and Movies, Front Page Features

Rock of the Marne: The American Soldiers Who Turned the Tide Against the Kaiser in World War I – Book Review

Rock of the Marne: The American Soldiers Who Turned the Tide Against the Kaiser in World War I – Book Review

Rock of the Marne: The American Soldiers Who Turned the Tide Against the Kaiser in World War I. by Stephen L. Harris (Berkely Caliber, 2015), 348 pages. One year into the centennial of World War I (1914-1918), publishers have turned from presenting a flood of books on the war’s root causes and how it erupted in the summer of 1914 to subjects covering how it was fought on the war’s battlefields. Stephen Harris’s Rock of the Marne moves the action ahead to the Western Front’s penultimate battle in 1918 – the Second Battle of the Marne. Fought from July 15 to August 6, the battle pitted 52 German divisions against 44 French, 8 American, 4 British and 2 Italian divisions along the Marne River about 50 miles northeast of Paris. During the opening phase of the battle, the initial German assault crossing of the Marne, the stubborn defense against overwhelming odds mounted by a regiment of the 3d U.S. Infantry Division earned that outfit its everlasting “Rock of the...

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Posted on Sep 3, 2015 in Electronic Games, Front Page Features

‘Conflict’ Series – Android OS Game Review

‘Conflict’ Series – Android OS Game Review

‘Conflict’ Series. Android OS game review. Developed and Published by Joni Nuutinen. Price for Android: $3.99; free for some. Editions Reviewed: Panzer Missions; Invasion of Poland 1939; Invasion of France 1940; Rommel and the Afrika Korps; Battle of Okinawa 1945; Battle of Moscow 1941 Passed Inspection: Inexpensive, strategic level simulations.  Great replay value. Company is very responsive to user feedback and concerns. Failed Basic: Some past victory conditions and playability issues but these were always fixed very quickly with updates. Solitaire only – no two player versions. Traditional strategic and tactical war games for the Android operating system are few and far between.  In the tradition of fine Android adaptations by John Tiller as well as the Android Combat Mission by Battlefront, Finnish game developer Joni Nuutinen has entered the battlefield with more traditional board game interpretations to the relatively new frontier of “smart devices” and, oh, what an entrance! While this overview will focus on Nuutinen’s World War II games, his releases cover the gamut from medieval themes, the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars and World War...

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Posted on Jul 22, 2015 in Electronic Games, Front Page Features

Congo Merc – PC/Mac Game Review

Congo Merc – PC/Mac Game Review

A light operational-level war-game set in the Congo during the decolonization in the 1960s. The digital game Congo Merc is based on the mini-board-game Congo Merc, the Congo 1964. The digital game is easy to learn and quick playing, but unhappily the game-play rapidly becomes repetitive.

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