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A Most Extraordinary Ride Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream [electronic resource] : by Garneau, Marc.aut; cloudLibrary;
A captivating and inspiring memoir by Canada's first man in space. On October 5th, 1984, Marc Garneau made history. Blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle and reaching a speed of 28,000 km/hour, he became the first Canadian to fly to outer space. That monumental achievement, now etched in Canadian history as one of our country’s proudest moments, inspired a nation and ushered in a new era of space exploration for Canada. Twenty-four years later, Garneau made history yet again, becoming the first astronaut to be elected as a Member of Parliament. In between those two milestones in Garneau’s unprecedented career, he was the first Canadian, and the first non-American, to serve as CAPCOM, the voice of Mission Control for the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle. In the years that followed his historic first voyage to space, Garneau returned to space two more times, becoming the first Canadian to log three trips into orbit, and led the Canadian Space Agency through its most dynamic years. In the House of Commons, Garneau would ultimately serve in two cabinet posts as Minister of Transport and Minister of Foreign Affairs during some of the biggest events of the past decade: the onset of one of the worst pandemics in modern times; the arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor by China; the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban; and the death of 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents aboard Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752, shot down by Iran. It was no surprise, then, that when Marc Garneau announced his retirement after fourteen years in government, many Canadians lamented the loss of an upstanding parliamentarian who was not afraid to speak up for causes he believed in, even if that meant bucking his own party and its leader.  In A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream, Garneau chronicles his once-improbable ascent from a mischievous teenager and rebellious naval midshipman to a decorated astronaut and statesman who represented Canada on the world stage – both on and off the planet. With candour and humour, Garneau describes the highs and lows of his life and career, including the awe he experienced first seeing the earth from space, the tragic loss of his first wife to mental illness and suicide, sailing across the Atlantic and back in a sailboat called "the Pickle," and witnessing the tragedy of the doomed shuttle Challenger. Honest and illuminating, A Most Extraordinary Ride is a rare journey into the early years of Canada’s space program and an inside account of the joys and challenges of governing from one of Canada’s most distinguished citizens.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Aviation; Political;
© 2024., McClelland & Stewart,
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Walk in my combat boots : true stories from America's bravest warriors / by Patterson, James,1947-author.; Eversmann, Matt,author.; Mooney, Chris,author.;
Shares firsthand wartime accounts describing the courageous battlefield sacrifices of men and women from every branch and operational specialty of the U.S. military, from the Vietnam War through the present.
Subjects: Biographies.; Soldiers; Military biography;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Wings of war : great combat tales of Allied and Axis pilots from World War II / by Busha, James P.;
LSC
Subjects: World War, 1939-1945; Air pilots, Military;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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American heroes / by Patterson, James,1947-author.; Eversmann, Matt,author.; Malloy, Tim(Journalist),author.;
Includes bibliographical references."U.S. soldiers who served in overseas conflicts -- from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan -- share true stories of the actions that earned them some of America's most distinguished military medals, up to and including the Medal of Honor. They never acted alone, but always in the spirit of camaraderie, patriotism, and for the good of our beloved country. There has never been a better time for all of us to think about duty, sacrifice, and what it means to be an American hero"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Military biography.; Military decorations; Soldiers; War;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Siege A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World [electronic resource] : by Macintyre, Ben.aut; cloudLibrary;
A brilliant, seat-of-your-pants hostage-taking and daring SAS rescue mission of the Iran Embassy in London in 1980, this is Ben Macintyre at the very height of his story-telling powers. On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Prince’s Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There, they took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, visitors, and three British citizens. A tense six-day siege ensued—all on television, over a Bank Holiday weekend—in which police negotiators and psychiatrists sought a bloodless end to the standoff, while the SAS laid plans for a daring rescue mission: Operation Nimrod. This mission marked a fundamental turning point in global history, when Middle Eastern terrorism arrived in the West. Britain had experienced IRA terrorism before, but never an international terrorist incident on this scale. It was a precursor to the brutal Iran-Iraq War that would follow, in which millions perished. Yet there exists to this day no full account of the week-long siege and gripping rescue. Drawing on interviews with police, hostages, terrorists and key SAS figures, and cutting through the sensationalism and misinformation, bestselling historian Ben Macintyre (author of Sunday Times #1s Colditz, The Spy and the Traitor and SAS: Rogue Heroes) goes deep into the archives with exclusive access to tell the story of what really happened and give the first definitive account of a moment that forever changed the way the nation thought about the SAS—and itself.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Military; 20th Century; Intelligence & Espionage;
© 2024., McClelland & Stewart,
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A Spy in the Family A True Story of Espionage and Betrayal [electronic resource] : by Henderson, Paul.aut; Gardner, David.aut; CloudLibrary;
A can’t-believe-it’s-true wartime page-turner that tells the incredible story of a mother, the son she was forced to give up for adoption, and the spy who, decades later, infiltrated her life with a devastating lie.  Johanna van Haarlem never wanted to abandon her son, Erwin. But the Nazis had occupied Europe and the teenager felt she had little choice. Her father had kicked her out, telling her she could return, without the child—or not at all. Johanna realized that together, she and her newborn wouldn’t survive; separated, at least Erwin had a fighting chance. So she surrendered the baby to an orphanage and tearfully went back home, vowing to return for Erwin one day. Johanna lives to see the Nazis defeated, and to deeply regret abandoning her child. When, decades later, at the height of the Cold War, she receives a letter from Erwin, it feels like a miraculous second chance. But at their joyful reunion in London, Johanna makes a disturbing discovery: Erwin’s eyes are the wrong colour. In a decision that will come to haunt her, she quickly buries the seed of her doubt and welcomes the young man into her life. It will take more than a decade for the imposter’s deceit to come to light, even longer to untangle the lies shielding his real identity—and his motives. Unfolding in a series of astonishing twists and turns, A Spy in the Family reveals the true story of a notorious Soviet Bloc agent who took advantage of a mother’s heartbreak to hide in plain sight. 
Subjects: Electronic books.; Historical; World War II;
© 2025., HarperCollins Canada,
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Anonymous Male : A Life Among Spies. by Whitcomb, Christopher.;
In September 2001, Christopher Whitcomb was the most visible FBI agent in the world. Then one day in 2006, Whitcomb packed a bag, flew into Somalia, and dropped off the face of the earth. For 15 years, he travelled the world with aliases, cash, and guns. He built a private army in the jungles of Timor-Leste, working contracts for intelligence agencies. But while surfing the wilds of Indonesia, Whitcomb found himself trapped beneath a giant wave, where, at the edge of drowning, he came to terms with the chaos of his own clandestine life. He survived the wave to find his way home and rebuild the world that he had abandoned.Library Bound Incorporated
Subjects: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Military; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs; PSYCHOLOGY / Psychopathology / Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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For valour : Canadians and the Victoria Cross in the Great War / by Gliddon, Gerald,1937-author.; Batchelor, Peter(Peter F.); Snelling, Stephen.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Tells the stories of every Canadian winner of the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth's highest award for gallantry, during the First World War. With a scope that covers the entire global conflict, For Valour follows soldiers from across Canada, all united by valour above and beyond the call of duty."--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Canada. Canadian Armed Forces; Heroes; Military decorations; Soldiers; Victoria Cross; World War, 1914-1918;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Her lotus year : China, the roaring twenties, and the making of Wallis Simpson / by French, Paul,1966-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Author Paul French examines a controversial and revealing period in the early life of the legendary Wallis, Duchess of Windsor -- her one year in China. Before she was the Duchess of Windsor, Bessie Wallis Warfield was Mrs. Wallis Spencer, wife of Earl "Win" Spencer, a US Navy aviator. From humble beginnings in Baltimore, she rose to marry a man who gave up his throne for her. But what made Wallis Spencer, Navy Wife, the woman who could become the Duchess of Windsor? The answers lie in her one-year sojourn in China. In her memoirs, Wallis described her time in China as her "Lotus Year," referring to Homer's Lotus Eaters, a group living in a state of dreamy forgetfulness, never to return home. Though faced with challenges, Wallis came to appreciate traditional Chinese aesthetics. China molded her in terms of her style and provided her with friendships that lasted a lifetime. But that "Lotus Year" would also later be used to damn her in the eyes of the British Establishment. The British government's supposed "China Dossier" of Wallis's rumored amorous and immoral activities in the Far East was a damning concoction, portraying her as sordid, debauched, influenced by foreign agents, and unfit to marry a king. Instead, French, an award-winning China historian, reveals Wallis Warfield Spencer as a woman of tremendous courage who may have acted as a courier for the US government, undertaking dangerous undercover diplomatic missions in a China torn by civil war. Her Lotus Year is an untold story in the colorful life of a woman too often maligned by history"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Windsor, Wallis Warfield, Duchess of, 1896-1986; Americans; Military spouses;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Honor bound : an American story of dreams and service / by McGrath, Amy,1975-author.; Peterson, Chris,author.;
"A memoir of the author's journey to becoming a fighter pilot; her twenty years in the military; and the events that led to her decision to run for U.S. Senate"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; McGrath, Amy, 1975-; United States. Marine Corps; United States. Marine Corps; Air pilots, Military; Fighter pilots; Women marines; Women political candidates;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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