About this item
In the spring of 1860 on the eve of a civil war that threatened to tear the country apart, two Americans conceived of an audacious plan for linking the nation's two coasts, thereby joining its present with its future. All that stood in the way were 1,900 miles of uninhabited desert, ice-capped mountains, oceanic plains roamed by hostile Indian tribes, whitewater-choked rivers, and rugged, unsettled frontier wilderness where civilized men were outnumbered a million to one by grizzlies, mountain lions, wolves, bison, rattlesnakes, and more. Many deemed their revolutionary scheme impossible. Run by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, the Pony Express as it came to be known, would use a relay system of daring horseback riders to ferry mail and small packages halfway across a continent in just ten days.
About the Author
In honor of the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day, I am deeply honored to have worked with WWII Army Staff Sergeant Ray Lambert, a highly decorated combat medic working at the front lines, who risked his own life to save the heroes of Omaha Beach. His first-hand account is called EVERY MAN A HERO, from HarperCollins, which just made the New York Times Bestseller List. His story was briefly narrated by actor Sam Elliot at the PBS special airing of the 30th Annual Memorial Day Concert in Washington, DC. and he was honored by President Trump at the Commemoration speech on D-Day in Normandy. Ray's dedication to saving and tending the wounded and dying throughout his Army career is a story that affected me deeply, and which Americans will be very proud to read.Here's an excerpt: A five A.M. on June 6, 1944, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ray Lambert worked his way through a throng of nervous soldiers to the windswept deck of a troopship off the coast of Normandy, France. A familiar voice cut through the wind and rumble of the ships engines. "Ray!" called his brother Bill. Ray, head of a medical team for the First Division's famed 16th Infantry Regiment, had already won a Silver Star in 1943 for running through German lines to save trapped men, one of countless rescues he'd made in North Africa and Sicily. "This is going to be the worst yet," Ray told his brother, who served alongside him throughout the war. "If I don't make it," said Bill, "take care of my family.""I will," said Ray. He thought about his wife and son-- a boy he had yet to see. "Same for me." The words were barely out of Ray's mouth when a shout came from below.To the landing craft!The brother's parted. Their destinies lay ten miles away, on the bloodiest shore of Normandy, a plot of Omaha Beach ironically code-named "Easy Red."I've written two other books about World War II heroes that I greatly admired: US RANGERS AT DIEPPE and OMAR BRADLEY:GENERAL AT WAR. This book was new for me, because I learned so much about medics, their training, new advances in medicine that came from Army experience on and off the battle fields. Most remarkably were the stories of the dedicated medics themselves, whose resolve to remain visible always to their troops to reassure them that help would be nearby made them prime targets of the Nazi enemy. Their selflessness, their compassion, and their cool heads in the chaos of war are exemplified by Ray Lambert's memoir, which gives voice to those who were lost to war on that horrific, yet successful day.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A master storyteller, NY Times Bestselling author Jim DeFelice (American Sniper) is known for his vivid, raw, and powerful portrayals of modern American military heroes. Now he resurrects the heroes of the Old West in WEST LIKE LIGHTNING: THE BRIEF, LEGENDARY RIDE OF
