Silence on the Wire: A Field Guide to Passive Reconnaissance and Indirect Attacks

Silence on the Wire: A Field Guide to Passive Reconnaissance and Indirect Attacks
Average customer rating:

Light Face of the Dark Side

A Wonderful Treatment of Network Security

super

New look at the (in)security of networked computers

Something to have in mind

Silence on the Wire: A Field Guide to Passive Reconnaissance and Indirect Attacks
Michal Zalewski
Manufacturer: No Starch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Encryption | Security & Encryption | Web Development | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Network Security | Networking | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1593270461

Book Description

There are many ways that a potential attacker can intercept information, or learn more about the sender, as the information travels over a network. Silence on the Wire uncovers these silent attacks so that system administrators can defend against them, as well as better understand and monitor their systems.

Silence on the Wire dissects several unique and fascinating security and privacy problems associated with the technologies and protocols used in everyday computing, and shows how to use this knowledge to learn more about others or to better defend systems. By taking an indepth look at modern computing, from hardware on up, the book helps the system administrator to better understand security issues, and to approach networking from a new, more creative perspective. The sys admin can apply this knowledge to network monitoring, policy enforcement, evidence analysis, IDS, honeypots, firewalls, and forensics.

Customer Reviews:

Light Face of the Dark Side.......2007-07-16

The Global Network is not a battle ground. It is a play ground.

This book although it covers security issues is great insight into the mentality that the security geeks can have. For them the security of platforms and networks are faulted and the hackers task is to disclose that.

A Wonderful Treatment of Network Security.......2007-06-12

At a conference I was at some time ago, a fellow mentioned to me that one person he would probably not want to play poker with is Michal Zalewski. I didn't really get his statement at the time, but after reading this book, I can now wholeheartedly understand his reluctance.

Although only 260 pages long, Michal's book covers an incredibly wide range of topics, pinpointing numerous areas in which incredible amounts of information about you and your computer are available, even though it may not seem that way at first blush. From the keyboard, to the processor, to the operating system, to the network wire, Michal points out the many holes from which this information is leaking from. His writing style gives rise to an entertaining narrative where a high-level picture makes the main concept available to everyone, while at the same time providing citations in the footnotes that let you delve into the details at a later point.

Silence on the Wire impressed me in so many ways that it's difficult to list them all here. Michal's understanding of so many areas in computer security is simply astounding. He covers each topic in just enough detail, not bogging down the reader in lots of technical jargon, but also not doing an inordinate amount of 'hand-waving'. His movement through the various components of the computer and the network is very well done; it ties together in a nice progression that the reader can follow easily.

I enjoyed the a nice selection of papers Michal discusses in which many ingenious attacks were described (timing attacks on RSA, SSH password recovery through timing analysis, TEMPEST, etc.). But one thing that truly stood out in this book is Michal's own contribution, which includes his work with p0f, the analysis of various ISN generators, and his work on identifying various web browsers through timing analysis. I was just amazed at how easily Michal pulled these 'fingerprints' out of seemingly random and/or innocuous data sets.

I had actually read about much of the work that Silence on the Wire covers beforehand, but in spite of that I learned a great deal from this book, and I know that many others can too. If you only read one book on network security, make it this one!

super.......2007-03-08

Thanks a lot, we are very happy to have this book in our library!

New look at the (in)security of networked computers.......2007-01-13

I am a student studying information security and I've read many books lately on the subject. Silence on the Wire is truly a unique book, and a nice change from the conventional reading material. Michal is a known expert in his field, and you can find many of his works and research in a simple search. His book focuses on the basic, yet most overlooked computer and network designs that can be attacked. In Silence on the Wire, Michal takes us on a long, treacherous journey of a packet, from when the data is first entered to its final destination. Along the way, we look at flaws in the design of computers and networks and how they are eventually exploited.

I held off reading this book all summer, after trying to read through the second chapter and finally getting frustrated with it. Chapter two is the book's downfall, as it spends entirely too much time getting to "the point" (as Richard Bejtlich puts it). Michal's explanations here were too confusing and will lose almost any reader. I think the section on the Turing Machine can be skipped over, unless you slow down and take notes and draw yourself diagrams of the information. Only then, will you probably understand what it's getting at. I'm happy to say though, reading the rest of the book was fairly easy; anybody with a background in network computing and security will be able to follow along.

Silence on the Wire is a fascinating read and I definitely recommend it to anybody who is interested or responsible for information security. Michal hopes his book will give you a new perspective on security and explore the relationships and interactions between components. I am glad I got to read this book and hope one day to contribute my own research to the topic.

Something to have in mind.......2006-11-10

Maybe not all of the possible threats described are real today, but one really get a glimpse into a world where the major objective is to exploit possibilities not intended to be there. People populating this world think differently than the rest of us, and an explanation of how they think is both scary and enlightening. Michal Zalewski walks us through various scenarios in an easy to understand and an often humorous way.

Simon Kenton: His Life and Period, 1755-1836 (The First American Frontier)

Average customer rating:

Simon Kenton: His Life and Period, 1755-1836 (The First American Frontier)
Edna Kenton
Manufacturer: Ayer Co Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Frontiersmen: A Narrative
The Life of Daniel Boone

ASIN: 0405028652

Average customer rating:

not intuitive enough
Excellent
centred around clustering methods
Pattern Recognition
An interesting pattern recognition book

Pattern Recognition, Third Edition
Sergios Theodoridis , and Konstantinos Koutroumbas
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0123695317

Book Description

A classic -- offering comprehensive and unified coverage with a balance between theory and practice!

Pattern recognition is integral to a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines and technologies including image analysis, speech recognition, audio classification, communications, computer-aided diagnosis, and data mining. The authors, leading experts in the field of pattern recognition, have once again provided an up-to-date, self-contained volume encapsulating this wide spectrum of information.

Each chapter is designed to begin with basics of theory progressing to advanced topics and then discusses cutting-edge techniques. Problems and exercises are present at the end of each chapter with a solutions manual provided via a companion website where a number of demonstrations are also available to aid the reader in gaining practical experience with the theories and associated algorithms.

This edition includes discussion of Bayesian classification, Bayesian networks, linear and nonlinear classifier design (including neural networks and support vector machines), dynamic programming and hidden Markov models for sequential data, feature generation (including wavelets, principal component analysis, independent component analysis and fractals), feature selection techniques, basic concepts from learning theory, and clustering concepts and algorithms. This book considers classical and current theory and practice, of both supervised and unsupervised pattern recognition, to build a complete background for professionals and students of engineering.

FOR INSTRUCTORS: To obtain access to the solutions manual for this title simply register on our textbook website (textbooks.elsevier.com)and request access to the Computer Science or Electronics and Electrical Engineering subject area. Once approved (usually within one business day) you will be able to access all of the instructor-only materials through the "Instructor Manual" link on this book's full web page.

* The latest results on support vector machines including v-SVM's and their geometric interpretation
* Classifier combinations including the Boosting approach
* State-of-the-art material for clustering algorithms tailored for large data sets and/or high dimensional data, as required by applications such as web-mining and bioinformatics
* Coverage of diverse applications such as image analysis, optical character recognition, channel equalization, speech recognition and audio classification

Customer Reviews:

not intuitive enough.......2007-04-17

Just a quick browse through, I find that the materials are not intuitive
enough. I tried to look for the explanation for Figure 6.21, but did not
find clear explanation. Some of the deeper stuff probably can be
generated by readers once the basic stuff is discussed in detail and
intuitively. In general, for someone with an excellent math background
tries to go into the pattern recongnition field, this is NOT the book.

Excellent.......2006-12-05

Many who work in artificial intelligence have commented that it is the ability of the human brain to engage in pattern recognition that gives it true intelligence. Without a quantitative measure of machine intelligence it is difficult to assess this claim, but there is no doubt that being able to implement pattern recognition and classification in a machine in a manner that enables it to distinguish objects, find profitable patterns in financial time series, teach itself how to play a game by examining the moves, identify subsequences in genome data, identify malicious behavior in networks, and detect fraudulent behavior in mortgage contracts would be a major advance in artificial intelligence and also a profitable one from a financial standpoint. Even if the machine required assistance from a human to do these tasks it would still be very useful. If it were able to do them on its own without any supervision one could justifiably describe it as being more intelligent than one that required such supervision (the counterexample to this imputation of intelligence is simple trial-and-error, which of course is unsupervised).

This book is a formal treatment of pattern recognition that is geared to a readership with a strong mathematical background and which makes as its major theme the difference between `supervised' and `unsupervised' pattern recognition, with this difference sometimes being more qualitative than what one would like. In the introduction to the book the authors make clear the distinction between these approaches, motivate the problem of the classification of features, and outline briefly the stages in the design of a pattern classification system. As is well known, supervised pattern recognition involves the use of training data, whereas unsupervised pattern recognition does not. In the latter case, it is left to the machine to find similarities in the feature vectors, and then cluster the similar feature vectors together. Researchers in the field of pattern recognition have devised an enormous number of algorithms and reasoning patterns to perform both unsupervised and supervised learning, and they have not necessarily developed these approaches in the context of machine intelligence. Thus the book could also be viewed as a mathematical theory of pattern recognition instead of one that is embedded in the field of artificial intelligence. However it is classified it is a useful and important work, and is well worth the time taken to read and study.

One of the most interesting (and esoteric) discussions is found in chapter 15 of the book. One of these concerns algorithms for `competitive learning' wherein representatives are designated and then "compete" with each other after a feature vector X is presented to the algorithm. The "winner" is the representative that is closer to X and the representatives are then updated by moving the winner toward X, with the rest remaining constant or move toward X at a slower rate. The competitive learning algorithm is parametrized by the learning rates of the winner and the losers, and the losers can have different learning rates. The investigator however selects the values of these parameters beforehand, and therefore competitive learning strictly speaking should not be classified as totally unsupervised. To be really unsupervised the competitive learning algorithm would have to make the selection of these parameters and tune them as needed to reach the convergence criterion. The authors do discuss briefly a version of the algorithm where the learning rate is variable, but the rate is still subject to certain constraints. Chapter 15 also contains a brief discussion of the use of genetic algorithms in clustering.

Another topic in the book that is both interesting and important and is still surprisingly unknown by many is that of `independent component analysis'. Independent component analysis (ICA) is a generalization of principal component analysis in that it tries to find a transformation that takes a feature vector into one whose components are mutually independent, instead of merely decorrelated. All of the random variables must be non-Gaussian in order for this technique to work, since the Gaussian case gives back the usual principal component analysis. Independent component analysis is beginning to be applied to many different areas, including finance, risk management, medical imaging, and physics. It remains to see whether it will become a standardized tool in the many mathematical and statistical software packages that exist at the present time. The authors discuss two different ways to perform independent component analysis, one being an approach based on higher order cumulants, and the other, interestingly, on mutual information. In the latter approach, the mutual information between the transformed components is calculated to be the Kullback-Leibler probability distance between the joint probability distribution of the transformed components and the product of the marginal probability densities. This distance is of course zero if the components are statistically independent. The strategy is then to find the transformational matrix that minimizes the mutual information, since this will make the components maximally independent. As the authors point out, the problem with this approach is that the elements of the transformation matrix are hidden in the marginal probability distribution functions of the transformed variables. They then outline an approach that allows them to calculate the mutual information with the assumption that the transformation matrix is unitary.

centred around clustering methods.......2006-12-02

[A review of the 3rd EDITION 2006.]

The authors give us an indepth survey of pattern recognition methods. All sorts of ideas. Like using a neural network approach with a multilayer perceptron that has back propagation implemented. Or using a Bayesian to classify and infer. Nor do they neglect support vector machines, which is a relatively recent idea that has gained some adherants.

Much of the text centres on clustering algorithms. Sequential and hierarchical, amongst others. Notice that many of the clusters found are rather subjective. Often depending on some initial choice of parameters. Here is one place where you might have to use your expert knowledge, in choosing some clustering method that yields reasonable results for your application.

Pattern Recognition.......2006-06-24

Professor Theodoridis has written an exciting new book on pattern recognition. The topic is sometimes neglected, particularly in the fields of biomedical and electrical engineering, but it is essential to the understanding of signal and image shape on a mathematical basis, including similarities and differences in shape as well as how to extract, recognize, and measure the important components. Professor Theodoridis covers all of the classic steps in pattern recognition in great detail and in a readily understood fashion: sensors and pattern extraction, features extraction and selection, clustering, classification, supervised and unsupervised recognition, and evaluation of the system. Each section is backed up with computer simulation examples so that the reader can gain practical experience while reading the book. The author discusses essential concepts for computer programming of the pattern recognition techniques that are discussed. This work is necessarily mathematical, and therefore will tend to be of greatest interest to advanced students and practicing engineers in a variety of fields. Biomedical engineering is a rapidly expanding field that is key to the improvement of health care quality. There are plenty of biomedical examples including those in the section of the book on computer-aided diagnosis, such as for the detection of cancerous lesions in x-ray mammography. The section on speech recognition will be useful to engineers who are designing turnkey pattern recognition systems that include speech recognition as input and/or for use as a security key. Also included in the work are the most recently developed topics of interest including fuzzy clustering algorithms, and neural networks using genetic and annealing methods. This comprehensive work should prove to be an invaluable tool for the library of design engineers who work with signals and images. I heartily recommend it to all with a basic engineering background.

Edward Ciaccio, PhD
Assoc. Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Columbia University in New York

An interesting pattern recognition book.......2006-05-02

I teach and research in pattern recognition, and for both fields I find very interesting this book. In particular, my students use it when a particular topic in the book is studied because concepts are
well described, in particular clustering methods. Also, solution manual is available from the publisher without problems. The main problem of this textbook is that other very important topics in pattern recognition are missing or briefly review
(for example, classification trees,
support vector machines or combining classifiers).

The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II (Elite)

Average customer rating:

Doesn't Answer the Mail...

The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II (Elite)
Richard Doherty
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1846031222
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Book Description

Either creeping through the landscape or mounted in armored cars and Bren carriers, Reconnaissance Regiments became a vital addition to all British infantry divisions. After the disastrous defeat in France in 1940, at the hands of German forces with strong recce units mounted in light armored vehicles, the Bartholomew Committee called for the formation of a British equivalent. This was achieved by forming the new elite Reconnaissance Corps.Their spearhead role meant that they were consistently at the forefront of all dramatic action, and most famously served with the 1st and 6th Airborne at Arnhem and with the Chindits in Burma.Within every theater of war, ranging from the jungles to the deserts, the Reconnaissance Corps made a critical contribution to the Allied war effort. However, with the disbandment of the Corps at the end of the war, their record has been unjustly forgotten.With a selection of rare and unpublished frontline photographs taken from private collections, this fascinating new insight into a forgotten elite unit of the British Army recounts the experiences of those soldiers who operated ahead of the army throughout the course of the war.

Customer Reviews:

Doesn't Answer the Mail..........2007-05-15

The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II, written by Richard Doherty and No. 152 in Osprey's Elite series, attempts to cover the role of Britain's division-level recon units in the European, African and Asian theaters. This is an ambitious effort for this short format and unfortunately, the result is likely to disappoint many readers. Given the size limitations, the author chose to focus on capsule summaries of each of the 32 recon-related units in the war. Indeed, there is considerably more "history" in this volume than many other Osprey Elite titles, but it came at the price of sacrificing information on training, tactics and doctrine. Lacking the background on what Britain's recon units were supposed to be capable of doing, it will be difficult for readers to assess their performance in actual combat. This volume is great if you are looking for a synopsis history of British Recon units or a sense of some noteworthy Recon soldiers, but fails to examine or discuss doctrine, tactics or organization in any kind of detail. The actual functioning of British Recon units is left murky and ambiguous.

After little more than a page of background on the requirement to form the Reconnaissance Corps in 1940-41, the author provides a couple pages on initial training of recruits and selection of early vehicles. The bulk of the rest of this volume covers the activities of Recon units in combat, divided into sections on North Africa, the Mediterranean, Northwest Europe and the Far East. The author provides several tables showing the organization of British Recon units in 1941 and 1942, but fails to discuss the make-up or role of critical sub-units. For example, what was the role of the regimental assault troop (or why should a Recon unit HAVE an assault troop?)? Nor does he explain how the carrier and Recce section worked together; based upon the table of organization provided, the carrier section appeared to have almost no troops or weapons assigned. Critical sub-units such as anti-aircraft, anti-tank and mortars are barely discussed - how were they used? Finally, the critical element for any recon unit - communications - is never addressed. What types of radios did the British Recon units use and how far could they communicate? A scout that cannot report what he sees might as well not be there.

The author's descriptions of Recon units in combat are quite good, with a genuine effort to give a feel for "the action," but unfortunately provide little insight into these units' primary mission: intelligence collection. Scouts are send forward to attempt to answer a commander's intelligence requirements (e.g. where is the enemy's main line of resistance?) in order to make tactical decisions based upon the best picture of enemy dispositions. However, this volume tends to emphasize combat roles - such as Recon troops used as infantry, for mine clearing or even portering duties - that makes it difficult to assess their role of intelligence collectors. I don't think there was a single instance in the volume where the author cited an example where British Recon units gathered information that gave a British division an advantage in its mission accomplishment. Indeed, I came away with the impression that the British Army badly mis-used its Recon units as substitute motorized infantry rather than as dedicated tactical intelligence collectors.

The lack of doctrinal information is also a serious omission. Critical information, such as how far forward recon units would conduct route patrols or how many routes a regiment could simultaneously patrol are simply not here. The basic meat and potatoes of recon work - area, zone and route recon plus screening and guard missions - is only mentioned in passing, at best. Although the author mentions a few occasions where British Recon units did dismounted patrolling, I was struck by how `glued' to their armored cars British units were. In one instance, the author sites how dangerous it was to go around a blind corner in a town while mounted, which made me wonder why the troops were not trained to dismount scouts in urban areas. Realizing the size limit was probably a major factor in this volume's short-comings, readers should still be aware that this volume does not `answer the mail' if one is looking for a concise but detailed discussion of British Recon units in the Second World War.

Uniforms and Equipment of U.S. Army Infantry, Lrrps and Rangers in Vietnam 1965-1971 (Schiffer Military History)

Average customer rating:

A great book that brings to life the soldiers of the US Army Vietnam
worthless
Very Misleading
A Great Vietnam Reference
Uniforms &Equipment of U.S. Army Infantry, Lrrps & Rangers

Uniforms and Equipment of U.S. Army Infantry, Lrrps and Rangers in Vietnam 1965-1971 (Schiffer Military History)
Paul W. Miraldi
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Uniforms | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

Uniforms & Equipment of U.S. Military Advisors in Vietnam: 1957-1972
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United States Marine Corps: Uniforms, Insignia And Personal Items of World War II
Special Forces: War Against Saddam Hussein

ASIN: 0764309587

Book Description

This new, extensively researched volume is a comprehensive guide to the history, development, wear, and use of uniforms and equipment during America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Included are insignia, headgear, camouflage uniforms, experimental items, modified items, flak armor, boots, clothing accessories, paper items and personal items from the year 1965 to 1971, all examined in great detail. Using re-constructed photos the author recreates the look and appearance of the American Soldier in Vietnam. Rangers, medics, scouts, RTO's, machine gunners, Pathfinders, and riflemen are all here and accompanied by detailed text. For the first time, see easily recognizable dating system used by the U.S. Government supply system to date the items on the manufacturer tag. A helpful appendix shows, for the first time ever, all forms of post war gear such as ALICE and camouflage like BDUs and the Rapid Deployment Force pattern, and all those that were never used in South East Asia during the Vietnam War. Included is also an easy to follow, detailed description of each item along with a comparison showing the actual wartime produced item side by side with the undesirable so the collector/Historian/Re-Enactor will never make the mistake of utilizing Post War Produced items again. Packed with over 500 detailed color photographs, and over 100 never before seen original photos from veterans, as well as many close-ups, this book fills an important gap in the collectors reference library and will be invaluable for collectors, living historians, re-enactors, modelers, curators, and artists alike. , over 600 color and b/w photographs, 9" x 12"

Customer Reviews:

A great book that brings to life the soldiers of the US Army Vietnam.......2007-07-20

Few books have been published regarding the US Army and its equipment during the Vietnam War. Miraldi has dared to tackle a very difficult and complex topic regarding the US front-line troop, Ranger and LRRP members by offering a extremely detailed and accurate guide to collectors and anyone with a general interest within the topic.

This book is filled with multiple pictures of both impressions and period photographs (color and B&W) - which really brings the US Army soldier of Vietnam into a greater perspective for anyone who may pick up the book. The chronological ordering is helpful and expressly shows how and why uniforms and equipment changed. Miraldi does an excellent job of distinguishing between years, Corps/zones, and on into individual infantry divisions/brigades - all along showing the unique distinctions between uniforms and equipment of the US Army.

The book is well sourced, mainly from Stanton and Lyles works, and by all means Miraldi separates this work from the sources. Miraldi does an excellent job in showing multiple insignia, rarer pieces of field gear (delta boots?!!?), tons of different types of uniforms, and even includes an appendix (with CLOSEUP pictures) in the back to distinguish Vietnam gear from postwar items (even ERDL/RDF camouflage!)That section alone is worth picking up this book for the 'newbs'. Even the older collectors shouldn't pass up this read/browse - the pictures are good and plentiful on high gloss paper wrapped in a sturdy hardback binding and makes a wonderful additional to any personal library.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is starting out collecting, to a person with a general interest (that needs to grow), or any collector who wishes to expand both their knowledge and understanding of US Army Uniforms and Equip of Vietnam. A real one of a kind book that follows in the footsteps of some, but really separates itself in many unique and wonderful ways. This book serves as a huge leap in better understanding the soldiers of Vietnam through the things they carried, and will continue to be one of the best sources of information regarding this topic. This book DOES NOT disappoint - a true landmark work for a war with not enough devotion and understanding from many. Thanks to Miraldi we can better understand this turbulent time. A+

worthless.......2007-06-18

i only gave this book one star because it you have to.this is the most retarded book ive seen.its just some retards who threw some vietnam era cloths on and took picture in a studio.no real use for this book i could have done the same thing in my back yard. dont waste your money.

Very Misleading.......2007-04-06

The cover of this book shows all soldiers wearing Tigerstripe uniforms, but inside, there are very few pictures of these uniforms, VERY MISLEADING.

This book should be titled, "The Plastic Spoon in Vietnam", in the first couple of pages, the author emphasizes the spoon in the pictures! Why??? (the spoon is inside the pockets of the uniforms). If the author only did this in ONE picture, then OK which was my reaction but in more & more pictures, no way!

Some of the photos show the male models wearing the uniforms that the author has collected, my problem is with some of the helmets, they look like toys, extremely bad helmets, the author should have put a kid under these helmets, not a grown man, and to make it worse, some of the helmet covers just do not look like they were from the Vietnam era.

The author shows US Army unit insignias, he compares actual US insignias from the Vietnam war with South Vietnamese made copies of the same insignias, and you can see the poor quality of the South Vietnamese made insignias, again, it is ok showing a couple of them but he shows a lot of these, no!

The cover for this book shows LRRP's/Rangers from the Vietnam War, which is VERY misleading, inside there are a couple of pictures of these soldiers but here comes the first problem, in a couple of pages, he REPEATS the same picture...one in color, the other in black & white, and he ONLY does this to the FEW pictures of LRRP's/Rangers. Another problem with the few pictures of these types of soldiers is that the photos show "ghosting" plus some of them show blurring/bad spots, why were these pictures put into the book, absolutely no quality control.

Another thing wrong with the book is the wasted pages showing the author in the US Army during the 80's/90's which has nothing to do with Vietnam. Why did he include these pictures?

The ONLY good part is that the author does show some photos of actual soldiers in Vietnam. (Most are posed with smiles)

This book is NOT recommended by me, the author wastes a lot of pages with bad pictures, the spoon, his time in the Army which was NOT during the Vietnam War.

A Great Vietnam Reference.......2006-04-19

This book covers the uniforms and equipment used by U.S. Army infantry and Ranger units from 1965 to 1972. Complete outfits are shown, head to foot, which illustrates how the gear goes together, which items were used during what year, etc. I feel that this method is far better than other books that show a lone shirt on a bust form with a caption like "this is a Vietnam era shirt". The same problem arises with field gear in other books. They show a single canteen cover or compass pouch but never show any equipment assembled as it was actually worn in the field. Miraldi's book is like going back in time and taking a close look at the uniforms & gear carried by individual troopers year by year. Since there is a lot of post 1975 uniforms and field equipment that closely resemble items used in Vietnam, Miraldi explains these differences and points out the details to look for when identifying these items. This book isn't so much a "textbook" about the war, it is more of a hands-on "guide" to use when putting together uniforms and field gear. I believe this book accomplishes this very well and I make regular references to it.

Uniforms &Equipment of U.S. Army Infantry, Lrrps & Rangers.......2002-01-27

As a collector, one of the most useful books I have found in identifying historical information from everything from badges to berrets. It is written in such a way that can easily be understood by all ages. The pictures and illustrations are a great addition to this great work.

First Force Recon Company: Sunrise at Midnight

Average customer rating:

Sunrise at Midnight
MY first vietnam book
VERY TENSE - LOTS OF ACTION
Read This Book -- You'll Be Glad That You Did!
1st recon in veitnam

First Force Recon Company: Sunrise at Midnight
Bill Peters
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Similar Items:

Inside Force Recon: Recon Marines in Vietnam
Force Recon Diary, 1969
Force Recon Command
Never Without Heroes
Stalking the Vietcong: Inside Operation Phoenix: A Personal Account

ASIN: 0804118736
Release Date: 1999-01-30

Book Description

In 1st Force Recon you performed at a very high level of proficiency. Or you died. . . .

In 1969, First Lieutenant Bill Peters and the Force Recon Marines had one of the most difficult, dangerous assignments in Vietnam. From the DMZ to the Central Highlands, their job was to provide strategic and operational intelligence to insure the security of American units as the withdrawal of the troops progressed.

Making perilous helicopter inserts deep in the Que Son Mountains, where the constant chatter of AK-47 rifle fire left no doubt who was in charge, Peters and the other men of 1st Force Recon Company risked their lives every day in six-man teams, never knowing whether they would live to see the sunset. Peters's accounts of silently watching huge movements of heavily armed NVA regulars, prisoner snatches, sudden-death ambushes, and extracts from fiercely fought firefights vividly capture the realities of Recon Marine warfare, and offer a gritty tribute to the courage, heroism, and sacrifice of the U. S. Marines. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Sunrise at Midnight.......2003-06-11

Excellent book about the small recon teams of the marine corps. Highly skilled and trained these small groups of men served as recon elements deep inside enemy territory. They were always outnumbered and outgunned but played a vital role in intelligence gathering missions. I have read many books related to vietnam and rank this as one of the top books I have read.

MY first vietnam book.......2001-11-16

This is the first book that I've read that was about the vietnam war, and is probably going to be one of the best viestnam books I'll ever read. The guys in this book were like scouts or the eyes of the army. They were alone on those dangerous missions.

VERY TENSE - LOTS OF ACTION.......2000-03-06

This book starts off on a college campus with a group of SDS students trying to drive the Marine recruiters away. It was so realistic and it brought back feelings I had long since forgotten. Lt. Peters goes to Nam and joins Force Recon. Contains many insertions deep inside NVA held territory and many close calls in the jungle. Some good firefights. Very difficult to put down in the middle of a mission because you just have to get the team safely back to An Hoa before you can put the book down. A good read. Made me proud I enlisted during the war.

Read This Book -- You'll Be Glad That You Did!.......2000-01-06

For students of the Vietnam War, military history, or history generally, I highly recommend "First Force Recon Company: Sunrise at Midnight". This book transports the reader back in time, into the lives and the daring missions tasked to this elite Marine team. The author also provides insightful historical perspective by analyzing how the distant political and diplomatic actions had real, observable impact on the chances for survival of this team of Marines.

It's interesting that the only negative review of this book comes from the only person who failed to give their name - but claimed to be a "Force Recon Marine who was in Vietnam in 1969". I suggest two likely possibilities: (1) this person is not what he or she claimed to be, and / or (2) they have some serious personal problems or agenda that leads them to criticize what is a first hand account of some of the most courageous and skillful Marines in the history of the Vietnam War. If this person can refute the basic accuracy of Bill Peters' book, let's see their book with verifiable facts.

Was I there to verify the facts recounted in "Sunrise at Midnight"? No. But the Recon Marines covered in this book can do so. How do I know this? As a lawyer for one the nation's leading companies, I report to General Counsel Lynn Lowder, who is highlighted in this book and is a recipient of the Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star.

Lynn tells me that Bill Peters told it just the way it was. Given Lynn's integrity in the legal and corporate battlefield - I have no doubt that "Sunrise at Midnight" is a credible and accurate retelling of events.

The First Force Recon Marines described in this book have continued to achieve at high levels during the past 30 years. They don't seek egocentric praise for their contributions; quite the opposite. This fine book is clearly written with humility, as a tribute of remembrance to the team - collectively. Hopefully, as time continues to pass, posterity will take note of their extraordinary courage in the face of terrifying adversity, faithfully responding to their nation's call. This book helps us remember and remain grateful.

1st recon in veitnam.......1999-09-29

One of the best books on Veitnam I have ever read. I wish Bill Peters would write a couple of more books.

Sled Driver : Flying the World's Fastest Jet

Average customer rating:

Will be a dream
Lucky
great book if you can ever find a copy
Ultra Sonic Super Spy
The Greatest Tribute to the Greatest Airplane

Sled Driver : Flying the World's Fastest Jet
Brian Shul
Manufacturer: Mach 1
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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Air Sports & Recreation | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

SR-71 Blackbird: Stories, Tales and Legends
SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story

ASIN: 0929823087

Customer Reviews:

Will be a dream.......2006-04-07

I first heard about this book when i was a freshman in high school seeing the add in the pacific flyer newspaper, Ever since then I have always wanted to get this book! I searched book stores to this day to find a copy! But after searching I have found it here only to have my dreams shot down like a japanese plane over pearl harbor that at a price of 245+ I will never be able to add this book to my extensive collection i have collected ever since i was 8! I hope one day to win the lottery or something so i can buy it!

Lucky.......2005-03-02

I got my copy from Brian when he was selling them at an open house at March AFB. He was planted right under the left wing. You could sit in the cockpit of the SR-71 for a photo for $5. That was well worth it! When you look behind you and see all that mass of black titanium, and imagine that you would leave a 30-06 bullet in the dust, it is truly awe inspiring. By the way Brian was signing, to you personally, his Sled Driver books for a paltry $35. My friend who is also a plane nut , got one too. My treat. I also got his second book by mail from him for the same price. He is a great guy who answers his own phone and takes your order himself. He is also very funny. Look him up at the next big airshow you attend. He'll tell you all about "the sled" Lee

great book if you can ever find a copy.......2004-06-14

yes i know that the 'sled driver' by shul is a fantastic book!!
and yes indeed, i have yet to read it
at nearly 1/2 a grand to purchase, i believe i shall never read it
i find it wonderful that the author wants to release another limited printing of 3500 copies
once again, i am sure to be left out of the fold
what is the motivation here?
am i not to ever get a crack at reading this fine work??
am i expected to ever get a truthful answer to my questions??
being a realist and a pilot, i must say its a lousey day for v.f.r
warmest regards to all those profiting at my expense
tim

Ultra Sonic Super Spy.......2004-06-09

The amazingly true story of Sled Driver was about a very daring pilot that flew one of the most secretive airplanes in history, the SR-71. Brain Shul, the author and the main personality throughout the book, started as a military fighter pilot, was one of the few people in the world to be to be trained to fly the SR-71 "Black Bird" or the "Sled" as it is sometimes called, let alone actually fly the beast, was chosen to fly the airplane. Two months of severe flight simulating and text manual reading, Brain is chosen to fly the "Sled" and is partnered with the only black man to ever fly the SR-7, Walt Watson. These two men are paired for their entire career of flying the SR-71. The rest of the book are tales of wondrous experiences and frightful mishaps that nearly take their lives, though they always came out strong.
In every book there are at least on thing that does not click with the reader, and in this book this rule holds true. The only problem I experienced while reading this book was the odd placement of pictures. Whenever the Author got into a serious thought or story, the next page would have a picture or series of pictures that would make you lose your trail of thought and provoke you to look at the photos. This severely annoyed me most of the way through the book. I don't quit think the author was thinking to deeply into the placement of the photos or he's a total genius and didn't want you to get completely trapped into his story, giving you time to think about what just happened or recollect on what exactly he was saying.
Of course there are good or great things about a book or the reader would stop reading it, unless he was forced to read it like I was in grade school and throughout High School. The pictures were phenomenal, even though their placement was off. The sheer quality and beauty of them was overwhelming. Also, the author used so much detail in his writing, it was almost as if you were in the cockpit with him and Walt. He used so manning adjectives, that it was almost as if he wanted your full attention on a specific object or experience, just so that you didn't miss a thing.

The Greatest Tribute to the Greatest Airplane.......2003-11-25

This work is a masterpiece of sight and sound; reading Shul's writing you feel like you're right there with him, at the controls of the greatest, most beautiful airplane anyone ever built.

I was given an earlier edition of this book (back whent he price wasa only $57) and DEEPLY regret that I cannot afford the Special Edition to replace the other, which was stolen.

If you CAN afford it, BUY IT NOW AND REJOICE! It simply IS that good. Kudos to Kelly Johnson (the plane's designer) and Kudos to Brian Shul for such a great book!

Death in the a Shau Valley: L Company LRRPs in Vietnam, 1969-1970
Average customer rating:

Very nice piece of literature about the LRRPs in Nam

Detailed

Interesting but not as good as I was expecting

Good book

My Take on Chambers' DEATH IN THE A SHAU VALLEY

Death in the a Shau Valley: L Company LRRPs in Vietnam, 1969-1970
Larry Chambers
Manufacturer: Ivy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Hill 488

LRRP Team Leader

Six Silent Men...Book Three (101st Lrp/Rangers)

The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War

15 Months In Sog: A Warrior's Tour

ASIN: 0804115753
Release Date: 1998-09-28

Book Description

"The enemy had a single purpose: kill me and my teammates."

Larry Chambers was still new to Vietnam in early 1969 when the LRRPs of the 101st Airborne Division became L Company, 75th (Rangers). But his unit's mission stayed the same: act as the eyes and ears of the 101st deep in the dreaded A Shau Valley--where the NVA ruled.

Relentless thick fog frequently made fighter bombers useless in the A Shau, and the enemy had furnished the nearby mountaintops with antiaircraft machine guns to protect the massive trail network that snaked through it. So, outgunned, outmanned, and unsupported, the teams of L Company executed hundreds of courageous missions. Now, in this powerful personal record, Larry Chambers recaptures the experience of the war's most brutal on-the-job training, where the slightest noise or smallest error could bring sudden--and certain--death. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Very nice piece of literature about the LRRPs in Nam.......2005-08-07

Larry Chambers is a very literate author, and a true veteran of the LRRPs in Vietnam. This book is very informative, and full of interesting facts about the patrols which were undertaken. also excellent glossary with hand signals amongst other things which really help!

Detailed.......2005-08-02

This book is very detailed. Scary to the common citizen an realization to a soldier. Every soldier should read this to realize Army life isnt as bad as they think.

Interesting but not as good as I was expecting .......2005-05-04

Too many army-buzz words which meant I kept having to flick to the back to look them up. Some of the stuff was interesting, some just stock Vietnam War novel pulp that you can find in any number of accounts these days.

Good book.......2004-07-03

"I made this book mandatory reading for my Ranger team. I'd quiz my men about what they'd learned; to be bold, daring, tenacious, audacious, and don't be afraid to make a decision. We went from the worst platoon in the regiment to the best platoon in six months. In training we'd get to objective so fast they had to hold us back.

US Army Master Sergeant H. "Max" Mullen Ret.
75th Ranger Regiment

My Take on Chambers' DEATH IN THE A SHAU VALLEY.......2004-01-20

This is Larry Chambers second book. I have not yet read his first, but absolutely will. You shouldn't come to Larry Chambers' Death in the A Shau Valley expecting to find the writing style of an experienced literary man. You will not find it. Instead, you will read the accounts of life in Nam as Chambers lived it, as Chambers the American soldier lived it. The chapters are often disjointed from a true chronology of events, but they do single out for telling what are obviously high points of memory. Some chapters are very short, because there is nothing else to say about the experience, others a bit longer. Some end abruptly because that is the way the experience ends. Others play out. However, within the entire book, you get a true picture of Chambers' life in Viet Nam. His humor comes through, as does his occasional envy at the softer life of some, and as does his sarcasm about the ineptness of some, as does his irreverence borne from a year on the firing line. You even get the true feelings of how the American soldier (LLRP, rear echelon, or in between) viewed the Vietnamese people. I will always remember Chambers telling of an incident that happened on his week's leave at Waikiki Beach--a little girl threw an object, and Chambers hit the sand. We generally know what this is all about, and Chambers' reaction. Death in the A Shau Valley is important reading if you want to get the sense and sensibilities of one man in Nam. As for me, I'm beginning Chambers' other book tonight.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Biography
Jim Bridger
Good History
An endearing llook at an historic character
It's the best book ever

Jim Bridger: Mountain Man
Stanley Vestal
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Adventurers & Explorers | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West (Bison Book)
The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man
John Colter: His Years in the Rockies
Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson (Midland Book)
The Mountain Men: The Dramatic History and Lore of the First Frontiersmen

ASIN: 0803257201

Book Description

Even among the mighty mountain men, Jim Bridger was a towering figure. He was one of the greatest explorers and pathfinders in American history. He couldn't write his name, but at eighteen he had braved the fury of the Missouri, ascending it in a keelboat flotilla commanded by that stalwart Mike Fink. By 1824, when he was only twenty, he had discovered the Great Salt Lake. Later he was to open the Overland Route, which was the path of the Overland Stage, the Pony Express, and the Union Pacific. One of the foremost trappers in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, he was a legend in his own time as well as ours. He remains one of the most important scouts and guides in the history of the West.

The Christian Science Monitor has called this biography "probably the fairest portrait of Jim Bridger in existence." The New York Times has praise for a "painstaking job of research among the usual Bridger sources and among some others which have been neglected. . . . [The author] has adequately set the scene for his hero's adventures and has honestly appraised the great guide's historical stature."Other Bison Books by Stanley Vestal: Dodge City: Queen of Cowtowns, Joe Meek: The Merry MOuntain Man; The Missouri, The Old Santa Fe Trail, and Warpath: The True Story of the Fighting Sioux Told in a Biography of Chief White Bull

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Biography.......2006-05-01

I just finish reading this book. I thought it was very excellent and intriguing about Jim Bridger. A man, who took no pleasure in killing, following the number one rule, "Survival of the Fittest and Kill or be Killed. I would've like to have gotten more information on his wife and children. It's sad about what happened to his daughter and that he was widowed twice. But it's good to know that his last years were spent with his children and grandchildren. I was brought almost to tears upon reading the final chapter of this book. I'm very fascinated with the Mountain Men and the Indian women they married.

Jim Bridger.......2005-08-05

So far so good. The book tells the life story of Bridger, which is what I wanted to see.

Good History.......2004-09-12

I'd like to give the book another star, but just don't think I can. I found it an interesting and well researched description of Bridger's life. It has both an excellent index and references. The author gave a fair and balanced assessment of Bridger. It appears that some previous books on him might have been unfair or too praiseworthy about his life. Somehow the descriptions lacked a little spark, although there are a number of vivid passages. Perhaps this has to do with the fact the book was written 100 years after Bridger's death. In fact, this book is now 30 years old, and I believe the author wrote his first book on similar topics back in the 30s. Nevertheless, it's a good and complete description of Bridger's life.

One of the sadder aspects of the story is near the ending when the author reveals that during the last 10-15 years of Bridger's life no writer took the opportunity to interview Bridger. He was in his sixties and seventies, I believe, but was a rather ignored individual, except by his family. He had an exceptionally good memory. Someone missed the opportunity to get more of his rather amazing life straight from the source. The 2-3 page description of his last years, and his desire to keep moving summarize his deep need for adventure and discovery.

He was apparently quite a wit and teller of tall tales. Only four of five of his short tales are found in the book. Interestingly, he told many of his stories in sign languages to the indians.

The book contains on chapter of the famous Hugh Glass incident. It's worth reading if you have not heard it. The story was incorporated into a movie, A Man Called Horse , starring Richard Harris, in a slightly different form. I also found the long passage on "medicine wolves" quite intriguing.

I think this book might disspell a notion that the indian's scalping and body mutiliations of their enemies was derived from copying Europeans might be false. I read such an explanation in another book written at about the same time as this one. However, here we find repeated references to such carnage. In fact, it seems this savagery also been deeply engrained into the mountain men and other early frontiersmen. I suspect such carnages placed on one's enemies has deep roots in all of human history.

An endearing llook at an historic character.......2000-09-21

Bridger is a larger than life character. The author portrays Bridger as a character who was unimpressed with developed society. His treasure was the mountains and the mystery of an undeveoped land and people. His humility and lack of concern for unbelievers of the wonder of the mountains aligns him with someone who has a tremendous fishing hole but doesnt want anyone to fish it dry.

It's the best book ever.......1999-01-27

This book is awesome !!!!!!!

Guardians: Strategic Reconnaissance Satellites

Average customer rating:

Guardians: Strategic Reconnaissance Satellites
Curtis Peebles
Manufacturer: Presidio Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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