Military History

A Civil War is the most traumatic event a country can go through and the United States was no exception. The American Civil War pitted neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother, and in some cases even father against son. My goal in this book is to bring to life the Civil War Era in plain and simple terms without the needless detail or wild conspiracies. Our journey begins with the Mexican War and ends with the Lincoln Assassination while covering all major points in between. Let the history come to life!!!

This book contains stories of a few veterans who served honorable in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, and a special tribute to those who paid the ultimate price to preserve and protect the freedom most Americans take much too lightly. It also contains a stern warning to every true American who believes in the principles on which this country was founded.

The freedom and biblical morality on which democracy thrives, and that which we love more than life, in very subtle ways, is slowly but surely being taken from us, not by a foreign power but by our very own power-hungry government.

My Story was written in an effort to capture my memories of the Vietnam War. I arrived in Vietnam on December 19, 1967, as a naive twenty-year-old private, E-3, and left on December 9, 1968, as a disillusioned Staff Sergeant, E-6, with two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. As a soldier assigned to Alpha Company, Third Battalion, Twenty-first Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, I fought the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Regulars (NVA) in the flatlands and the mountains west of Tam KY and the NVA on the DMZ north of Dong Ha. Enemy fire, malaria, accidents, and the scorching heat all took a heavy toll on Alpha Company. The high casualty rate was a constant drain on the company’s experience and the lack of experience produced yet more casualties. On more than one occasion, stupid mistakes cost young men their lives. But at other times, like when we turned back the NVA on the DMZ, I can assure you that there wasn’t a better outfit in Vietnam on that night in May.

This is a true story of a man by the name of Salvador A. Sciuto, A.K.A. Sampson, who served in the U.S. Army during World War Two.

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, April 17, 1923, and serving in the U.S. Army for over two years and three months in the U.S. and in foreign areas, as a P.F.C. (Private First Class) in the G333rd Infantry Regiment.

Discover what life was like during those times through real eyes. How it started, what happened, and the ending to the war from a service member’s point of view. An insider’s look into what happened.

The majority of Americans know of the fifty eight thousand who died in the Vietnam War, but very few have heard of the hundreds of thousands who have died since its end. They are the forgotten victims of a war fought by politicians instead of generals with no real plan for victory. Vietnam Veterans by the thousands have died since the war because of their exposure to Agent Orange, but so many more have taken their own lives to forget the Hell on Earth which they endured. In my book, I try to take the reader back in time so they can understand the real story behind the Vietnam War as seen thru the eyes of those of us who fought it. My story tells of the struggles of day to day life as I and my brothers faced the enemy in battle in Vietnam, and it also tells of their bravery and sacrifice for each other. I have tried to explain to the reader how combat affects those of us burdened with pain, loss and guilt for those who could not return. I hope my story becomes a lasting tribute to those men and women lost in a war in which America seemed to have forgotten so many years ago. I also hope and pray that it will save the life of just one veteran before he or she gives up their struggle to find peace.

In the year 1966, while our family prepared to emigrate to Canada, we found a bundle of 110 letters in our attic in Hamburg, Germany. They were written in 1942 and 1943 between my mother in Hamburg and my father in various war-time locations in Poland, Russia and the Southern Ukraine.

These “World War II - Letters” turned out to be a treasure chest of history, and an example of my parents’ eloquence, wisdom, insight and love. They triggered a tidal wave of long suppressed and ignored memories in me that compelled me to write about my experiences as a 6 to 12 year old “Boy in Hitler-Germany” from 1941 to 1945 and the post-war time from 1945 to 1948.

The story line will take the reader from a tranquil pre-war scenario to ABSOLUTE HELL. Eventually “Hell” was overcome. Overcome by the resiliency of the people and how well they adapted to adverse situations with optimism and resourcefulness. I am sure this ability holds true for many war-besieged people in the world.

The Men, the Pride, the Threats, and the Disasters

The Submarine During the Cold War is about the Submarine Service during the Cold War between Russia and the United States. It explains why during the Cold War the Submarine Service played such a vital role in keeping the United States safe. Unfortunately, earning and maintaining freedom came at a heavy price, not just in dollars, but in lives lost.

Hard Lessons of the U.S. Army for the Success of a Future America

The Soldiers Creed is designed to help you realize that setting high standards of ethical and moral conduct can be achieved. The U.S. Army, through the Soldiers Creed, maintains high standards of conduct through self-discipline, respect, loyalty, duty, self-less service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. Within the pages of this book, real life examples of soldiers portray the lifestyle many spend years trying to achieve. Some examples portray soldiers who fell from grace and the harsh consequences they faced. All are the hard lessons soldiers who have served in the Army, and a few other services, have learned. You can too….

Michael John Fitzgerald - From Immigrant to Officer in the Indian Fighting Army

The story of Michael Fitzgerald is the story of a nine-year-old Irish boy who traveled across the Atlantic without his parents to live in the slums of Baltimore. At the age of seventeen, young Michael enlisted in the Army at Fort McHenry and began a military life that would take him to key areas of America’s growth. He was a young Army private in the Artillery sloshing through the Florida Everglades in the Third Seminole War. He and his family were held prisoners by the rebellious mob in Charleston, South Carolina after Major Anderson fled with the folks at Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter. For his efforts as a field medic he became a hospital steward and helped care for the thousands of men wounded and killed at Antietam. For his actions in Frederick during this time he became a commissioned officer, serving on the West Coast and the Great Plains. During his career he married four wives, the first two in the frontier wilderness.

Michael Fitzgerald was a witness and participant in American History. This book follows Michael’s life and directs our attention to how and where his life intersected with the making of America.

The “Dear Bill” title refers to Colonel Bill Williams, an Army colleague over many years who planned to accompany the author on a “Revisit” tour to South Korea. Unfortunately Bill Williams was unable to make this visit because of a progressive cancer illness. Gordon Clyde Southern, the author, made a full commitment to Bill that he would record the trip with complete notes and photos.

The return to the scene of battle served to re-kindle old memories that had lain dormant for the 40 plus years. The assembly of grizzled old veterans provided an in-depth study of the military situation both historically and with growing concern for the current international tension. There are no eloquent acknowledgments in this book from the Generals, the Admirals, those with Cabinet protocol, or from Heads of State. It is nothing more than a soldierly narrative from those who fought along the Main Line of Resistance who seek to render a subtle reminder that historical neglect of the Korean War may tempt modern historians to issue their own revisionist philosophy.

There is also a not-too-subtle conclusion that this nation may be faced with the necessity of instituting an Army Draft policy in order to maintain a formidable military might in view of our continued involvement in conflicts around the world.