National Vietnam War Veterans Day – March 29

March 29, 2018

On March 29, 1973, President Richard Nixon welcomed home the last of the combat military members from the Vietnam War. In honor of that day, we now celebrate their return and the sacrifices our soldiers made to serve our nation proudly overseas. The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) offers access to the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017, which designated March 29 as Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Day, through the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP).

GPO’s govinfo offers the original Presidential Proclamation for Vietnam Veterans Day in 1974. As well as several other items from Congressional Records during the period.

The Vietnam War era saw the American citizens sick of decades of foreign wars, and who blamed the soldiers who fought them upon their return. Because of this unfavorable environment, the Vietnam War Veterans waited decades for their sacrifices to be formally recognized.

More than 2.7 million Americans served in uniform in Vietnam, with more than 58,000 of those service members killed during the war. The Tet Offensive played an important role in weakening U.S. public support for the war in Vietnam.

In January of 1968, during the lunar new year (or “Tet”) holiday, North Vietnamese and communist Viet Cong forces launched a coordinated attack against a number of targets in South Vietnam.

The U.S. and South Vietnamese militaries sustained heavy losses before finally repelling the communist assault. This was widely considered the final straw in an already unpopular American war, and led to the withdrawal of all American forces a few years later.

GPO has printed several publications throughout the years that illustrate the intricacies of this contested war.

GPO’s Government Bookstore offers many publications that can help you pay homage to this unique history. Some of those include:

  • Combat Operations: Staying the Course, October 1967-December 1968 describes the twelve-month period when the Viet Cong and their North Vietnamese allies embarked on a new and more aggressive strategy that shook the foundations of South Vietnam and forced the United States to reevaluate its military calculations in Southeast Asia. Hanoi’s general offensive-general uprising brought the war to South Vietnam’s cities for the first time and disrupted the allied pacification program that was just beginning to take hold in some rural areas formerly controlled by the Communists. For the enemy, however, those achievements came at a staggering cost in manpower and material; more importantly, the Tet offensive failed to cripple the South Vietnamese government or convince the United States to abandon its ally. As the dust settled from the Viet Cong attacks, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered his military commanders to press ahead with their current strategy unchanged apart from some short-term tactical adjustments and a modest increase in the U.S. troop deployment. His decision to stay the course seemed to bear fruit as the allies repaired their losses and then forged new gains throughout the summer and autumn of 1968. Even so, the allied situation at the end of this period appeared to be only marginally better than it had been in late 1967; the peace talks in Paris had stalled, and American public opinion had turned decisively against the war.
  • Melvin Laird and the Foundation of the Post-Vietnam Military, 1969-1973 . Melvin Laird became President Richard Nixon’s secretary of defense in January 1969. His challenging agenda included two goals: withdrawing the U.S. military from Vietnam and reshaping U.S. the armed forces for the future. He worked toward ending the inequitable draft system and replacing it with an all-volunteer force of regulars supported by National Guard and Reserve components. Laird’s tenure was also marked by battles with Congress and the administration over the defense budget and the antiballistic military system as well as efforts to strengthen alliances with NATO, East Asian allies, and Israel.
  • Advice and Support: The Final Years, 1965-1973 . In Advice and Support: The Final Years, 1965-1973, Jeffrey J. Clarke describes the U.S. Army advisory effort to the South Vietnamese armed forces during the period when the U.S. commitment in Southeast Asia was at its peak. The account encompasses a broad spectrum of activities at several levels, from the physically demanding work of the battalion advisers on the ground to the more sophisticated undertakings of senior military officers at the highest echelons of the American military assistance command in Saigon.
  • U.S. Army Campaigns of the Vietnam War: Taking the Offensive, October 1966-September 1967 . Taking the Offensive, October 1966–September 1967, by Glenn F. Williams, begins with a discussion of Operation ATTLEBORO in Tay Ninh Province. The largest allied operation to date in the war, ATTLEBORO forced the 9th PLAF Division to abandon its attack on Suoi Da Special Forces camp and cost over 1,000 enemy lives. Additional action in War Zone C, including Operations CEDAR FALLS, JUNCTION CITY, and JUNCTION CITY II, highlight the U.S. Army effort to disrupt the network of camps and supply stores of the North Vietnamese main force units through ground and air assault. Operations in Binh Dinh Province — THAYER I, THAYER II, PERSHING, and LEJUNE — continued to inflict heavy losses on the enemy. The efforts of the U.S. Army throughout Vietnam during this time allowed for growing political stability in South Vietnam leading up to the 3 September 1967 election. This pamphlet contains twelve maps and fifteen illustrations.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Scott Pauley is a Writer and Editor in GPO’s Library Services and Content Management offices.

 

Leave a Comment » | Center of Military History, Department of Defense, Military History, U.S. Army, U.S. History, Vietnam | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

National Ag Day – March 20

March 20, 2018

National Ag Day is a day to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by America’s agricultural community. Every year producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies, and countless others across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.

What Is Ag Day All About?
Ag Day recognizes – and celebrates – the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives. The National Ag Day program encourages every American to:

  • Understand how food and fiber products are produced.
  • Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
  • Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

Your family can celebrate and acknowledge the importance of agriculture in our daily lives easily and enjoyably by engaging your children in creating recipes that you also can suggest to your local school cafeteria leaders. Here’s an easy way to get involved; by obtaining this easy-to-prepare set of fun and nutritional recipes.

Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook for Schools from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This cookbook presents a variety of recipes, with full color photographs of the finished meals, for children (and adults!).  The recipes have fun names and are tasty to both kids and adults, and include nutritional ingredients like dark green and orange vegetables, dry beans and peas, and whole grains.  The recipes are low in fat, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.

This is a cookbook with recipes that kids and adults will want to prepare and eat, and have fun while doing so, while benefitting by great nutrition!  The cookbook features a collection of recipes from the “Recipes for Healthy Kids Competition,” where children, school nutritionists, chefs, parents, and other interested members of the community submitted their own recipes for fun, healthy foods.

Get on board a more nutritional lifestyle for your family and have fun doing it.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

International Women’s Day, March 8, 2018

March 7, 2018

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women’s Day has occurred for well over a century. Started by the Suffragettes in the early 1900’s, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Government Book Talk is highlighting a new publication from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Women and Religious Freedom: Synergies and Opportunities. The purpose of this publication is to seek to identify complexities between freedom of religion or belief (FORB) and the right to women’s equality through the analysis of various international human rights law documents impacting this topic. It addresses a fundamental issue especially true in societies with deep historic traditions and values not always in harmony with the progress of women’s equality.

For more publications celebrating the achievements of women go to: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/women.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

 

Leave a Comment » | Human Rights, International, Women | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Read Across America – March 2

March 1, 2018

On March 2, 2018, Get involved! The National Education Association’s Read Across America Day is a nationwide reading celebration that takes place annually on March 2—Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers participate by bringing together kids, teens, and books, and you can too! Incorporate these guides and activities to celebrate reading with young people.

The Federal Government Environmental Protection Agency has a fun and informative children’s activity book featuring beloved Dr. Seuss character, the Lorax (Dr. Seuss TM 2015).

Join the Lorax and ENERGY STAR by doing your part. Save energy at home and at school – to keep pollution out of the air and keep the earth cool! The Lorax can teach us a thing or two, about saving water – that’s a good thing for the earth too.” A graphic and simple-to-understand activity book to engage school children in learning and caring about the environment and how to improve America’s quality of life.

You can purchase this fun booklet online at the U.S. Government Bookstore here.

For more on Dr. Seuss, read “Dr. Seuss, U.S Army” from the early days of Government Book Talk.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Consumers, Environment, Environmental Protection Agency | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Black History Month

February 16, 2018

Since President Gerald R. Ford first officially recognized Black History Month during America’s Bicentennial celebration, the United States and its Government have recognized the incredible achievements of African-American citizens throughout its history. However, the origins of Black History Month stretch nearly 50 years prior to that event.

In 1926, Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced that they would be celebrating the second week of February as Negro History Week. They chose this particular week in honor of the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Over the next several years, the event grew, due in large part to the involvement of schools, until in 1969 the concept of a Black History Month was proposed at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The first recorded celebration of Black History Month occurred the next year, 1970, and from there was spread throughout colleges and universities picking up momentum in public opinion until Ford officially recognized it six years later.

The history of accomplishments, achievements, and innovations of African-Americans throughout our Nation’s history is vast and diverse. The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has printed several publications throughout the years that highlight those triumphs.

GPO offers access to several items that can help your organization pay homage to this unique history. The U.S. Government Bookstore offers several titles about this topic. Some of those include:

  • Underground Railroad – This National Park Service handbook describes the many ways that blacks took to escape slavery in the southern United States before the Civil War. It includes stories of famous African American women, such as Harriet Tubman, who served in the Union Army as a nurse, spy, and scout, and Sojourner Truth, who helped recruit black troops for the Union Army.
  • Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007 (Paperback Edition) – Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007 provides a comprehensive history of the more than 120 African Americans who have served in the United States Congress from 1870 through 2007. Individual profiles are introduced by contextual essays that explain major events in Congressional and U.S. history. It is illustrated with many portraits, photographs, and charts. Questions that are answered include: How many African Americans have served in the U.S. Congress? How did Reconstruction, the Great Migration, and the post-World War II civil rights movement affect black Members of Congress? Who was the first African American to chair a Congressional committee?
  • Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops, 1862-1867 (Paperback) – Freedom by the Sword tells the story of the Colored Troops recruitment, organization, and service. The broad focus is on every theater of the Civil War and its concentration on what black soldiers actually contributed to Union victory. It examines the Colored Troops’ formation, training, and operations during the entire span of their service and in every theater of the war in which they served. It underscores the unique nature of their contributions both to Union victory and to their own liberation.

GPO also offers free access to H.J. Res. 12, which designated February 1993 as National Black History Month. Through govinfo.gov, you can find access to several occasions of Congress celebrating Black History Month and other related topics discussed on the House and Senate floors.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Click on the Links: For the free resources, click on the links above in the blog post.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Scott Pauley is a Writer and Editor in GPO’s Library Services and Content Management offices.

Leave a Comment » | African Americans, Libraries, Teachers and teaching, U.S. History | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

The Shaping of Allied Military Strategy During the Crisis Years of WWII

February 1, 2018

The “Big Three” at Yalta. Seated, left to right: British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and their staffs at the Argonaut Conference in February 1945. Image courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The U.S. Department of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff History Office recently released a series of eBooks focusing on the Inter-Allied conferences held during World War II.  The conferences documented within this series were led by senior military leaders from the United States and Great Britain working in concert to make vitally important decisions for the combined WWII effort during the period of uncertainty facing Allied Forces in both the European and Asian conflicts.

Download for free this series of eBooks detailing the inner-workings of these historic conferences from the U.S. Government Bookstore.

Here are a few examples in the series.

The Arcadia Conference: December 1941–January 1942. Two weeks after the United States entered World War II, the Arcadia Conference (also known as the First Washington Conference) was held in Washington, DC, from December 24, 1941 to January 14, 1942. Working together President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill made the initial crucial decisions for the combined war effort at this important meeting. One of these established the Combined Chiefs of Staff, comprising the high-ranking officers who would become the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and their British counterparts. It was this consultative body of top military leaders that would refine the Allied military strategy and approve all significant military decisions for the duration of conflict. The most consequential decision reached at Arcadia was that of “Germany first,” making the defeat of Germany the prime Allied objective. Additionally, plans to invade North Africa, which would come to fruition in November 1942 with Operation Torch, were extensively studied and discussed.

The Post-Arcadia Conference: January–May 1942. Only nine days after the Arcadia Conference (also known as the First Washington Conference) was held in Washington, DC, the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) again convened for a series of twenty meetings between January 23 and May 19, 1942. During these meetings, the CCS focused on the situation in the Southwest Pacific area known as the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) area, which included Burma; support of Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek; and the possibility of a German attack on England.

Seated: President Franklin D. Roosevelt (left) and British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill with the Combined Chiefs of Staff at the Casablanca Conference on January 22, 1943. Image courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Casablanca Conference: January 1943. During the first month of 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill met at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca in French Morocco for a ten-day conference to plan the next stages of the war against the Axis. Accompanied by the French generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud, the two leaders and the Combined Chiefs of Staff mapped out the grand strategy for both the European and the Pacific theaters.

Interested in learning more about these and other WWII Inter-Allied conferences? Visit the U.S. Government Online Bookstore to download the entire series here.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Trudy Hawkins is a Marketing and Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

 

Leave a Comment » | Department of Defense, ebooks, Military History, World War II | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

North and South Korea

January 11, 2018

The two Koreas; one is smaller than Indiana, the other contains less mass than Mississippi. Where South Korea has become a global economic engine, with an economy 36 times greater than its northern neighbor, North Korea’s people reportedly suffer from malnutrition and the lack of basic human needs. Its leader Kim Jong Un, appears to emphasize building and maintaining a million member military, increasingly powerful nuclear weapons, and deploying sophisticated missiles with global reach capabilities. Americans need to fully understand how different and unique the people of both South and North Korea are, psychologically and philosophically, from those living in Western societies, especially the U.S.

The U.S. Government Bookstore has a comprehensive collection of publications that feature every aspect of the Korean War, the aftermath, profiles of North Korea prior to the emergence of Kim Jong Un, studies of Confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, plus in-depth studies about “Our Not so Peaceful Nuclear Future” and other insightful titles about the state of nuclear confrontation facing our leaders today, primarily due to the dramatic new capabilities of the Kim Jong Un regime.

Here are a few examples; or, click here to see a full range of pertinent publications.

North Korea: A Country Study. This volume is one in a continuing series of books prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program. This study attempts to review the history and treat in a concise manner the dominant social, political, economic, and military aspects of contemporary North Korea.

Confronting Security Challenges on the Korean Peninsula. This publication provides papers from a symposium that was held on September 1, 2010. South Korean military strategists in Panel 1 talked about challenges on the Korean peninsula including the effectiveness of the U.S.-South Korea alliance, and the relationship between North and South Korea. Panel 2 addressed the Obama administration’s expansion of sanctions against North Korea and the freezing of assets of individuals and organizations linked to its nuclear program, focusing on contingency planning, military readiness, and the potential economic impact of the collapse of North Korea. Panel 3 focused on human rights issues in North Korea.

Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future. With the world focused on the nuclear crisis in Iran, it is tempting to think that addressing this case, North Korea, and the problem of nuclear terrorism is all that matters and is what matters most. Perhaps, but if states become more willing to use their nuclear weapons to achieve military advantage, the problem of proliferation will become much more unwieldy. In this case, U.S. security will be hostage not just to North Korea, Iran, or terrorists, but to nuclear proliferation more generally, diplomatic miscalculations, and wars between a much larger number of possible players.

Moving Beyond Pretense: Nuclear Power and Nonproliferation. Most governments have made the promotion of nuclear power’s growth and global development a top priority. Throughout, they have insisted that the dangers of nuclear weapons proliferation are manageable either by making future nuclear plants more “proliferation-resistant” or by strengthening International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and acquiring more timely intelligence on proliferators. How sound is this view? How useful might civilian nuclear programs be for states that want to get nuclear weapons quickly? Are current International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear safeguards sufficient to block military nuclear diversions from civilian programs? Are there easy fixes to upgrade these controls? How much can we count on more timely intelligence on proliferators to stem the further spread of nuclear weapons?  This volume taps the insights and analyses of 13 top security and nuclear experts to get the answers. What emerges is a comprehensive counter-narrative to the prevailing wisdom, and a series of innovative reforms to tighten existing nuclear nonproliferation controls.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Army War College, Department of Defense, Foreign Relations, Library of Congress (LOC), U.S. Army, World History | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

New Year, New Personal Goals – Welcome 2018!

January 4, 2018

This year, I am keeping one goal that I started last spring –to eat healthier food, mainly fruits and vegetables.    So, out came the cookbooks and dietary guidelines for guidance as I push myself in this direction …. Here are a few titles from the US Federal Government that I referred to, and that may interest you also:

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020. The Dietary Guidelines is designed for professionals to help all individuals ages 2 years and older and their families consume a healthy, nutritionally adequate diet. The information in the Dietary Guidelines is used in developing Federal food, nutrition, and health policies and programs. It is also the basis for Federal nutrition education materials designed for the public and for the nutrition education components of  HHS and USDA food programs. It is developed for use by policymakers and nutrition and health professionals.

This publication is available in paperback and free eBook formats here – scroll to the right of your screen and click the format drop down to find the other formats.   Free ePub format also available from Apple iBookstore, BarnesandNoble (Nook eBookstore), Google Play eBookstore, and Overdrive.  Please use ePub ISBN: 9780160934650 to search these platforms.  Also available in PDF format through EBSCOhost, Academic Pub, Rittenhouse R2, and ProQuest databases.  Please use PDF ISBN: 9780160934674 to search these academic platforms.

Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook for Schools. While the premise for this book was based on a healthy eating competition in schools across America, the contents will apply to children, adults, and school cafeterias to meet nutritional planning objectives.  For me, personally, there are a number of recipes that I can incorporate healthy fruits and vegetables to meet my 2018 personal goal for healthy eating.

Staying Active

Another personal goal for me in year 2018 is to get back to exercising a few times a week.  Living in the Washington, DC area, I often observe military personnel taking part in exercise programs during my early morning commutes and know this must be how many of them stay fit.  Therefore, I am excited about the recently published work by the US Army:

Performance Triad, The Total Army Family Guide: A Guide To Help With Enhancing Your Health With Sleep, Activity, and Nutrition. This resource from the US Army is presented in different modules, so a person can choose the modules best for them.  There many fitness modules to choose from. As an individual increases the number of repetitions at his or her own pace, it can improve strength and overall fitness.

Exercising My Brain

My other personal goal for this year is to reduce my hours of watching television and increase my self-education through online webinars and reading.  In this New Year, I plan to renew my library card — an affordable way to achieve this goal!

Some US Federal Government self-education books that I would like to recommend to others include:

Economic Security: Neglected Dimension of National Security – Paperback format with reduced list price (while supplies last) can be found here. I found this book to be engaging because it directly relates to today’s defense planning matters that impact America’s national security budgets.  Also available in ePub format for $7.99 list price from Apple iBookstore using ePub ISBN: 9780160915727.

North Korea and nuclear missile defense seems to be on many of my friends minds these days and this subject found its way into many holiday discussions with family and friends.  These are some books that I have read that provided some insights into our military future:

The Asia Pacific Century: Challenges and Opportunities. In 2002 Pres. George W. Bush proclaimed that the twenty-first century would be the “Asia-Pacific Century.” While I am not sure he was the first person to use that phrase—and it has been often used by others over the past 10 years—for those who study the region and/or have more than a casual familiarity with the region, the proclamation rings true. In a November 2011 article in Foreign Policy magazine, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went so far as to say, “The future of politics will be decided in Asia, not Afghanistan or Iraq, and the United States will be right at the center of the action.” These are powerful words, underscoring the fact that Asia matters, and it matters a great deal.

Chinese Strategic Perspectives-Chinese Military Diplomacy: 2003- 2016, Trends and Implications This publication provides a history of Chinese military diplomacy from 2003 to 2016, and discusses future implications of this diplomacy for the United States and the international community.

Thank you for reading and I would love to hear your comments about this post.  Best wishes for health and success in 2018!

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office in Washington, DC. Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution through platforms and vendors, such as Apple iBookstore, Barnes and Noble.com, Google Play eBookstore, Ebscohost databases, Overdrive, and ProQuest.

Leave a Comment » | Consumers, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health & Human Services, Family, Health care | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

The Beginning of a Great Holiday Tradition

December 21, 2017

“Twas the Night Before Christmas” 1955 when a misprinted Sears Roebuck & Co. newspaper ad featuring a direct dial in number for kid’s to chat with Santa turned out to be the U.S. – Soviet alert hotline to the Colorado HQ of America’s Air Defense Command. The top secret hotline, used only in national emergencies, alerted the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) if the USSR attacked!

Fortunately a wise and savvy U.S. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, CONAD’s director of operations, grabbed the red emergency phone fully prepared to react to an imminent attack. On the other end of the line, he heard a trembling six year-old boy’s voice ask in wonder, “Are you really Santa Claus?” Colonel Shoup, hoping it was a prank, snapped, “Would you repeat that?” A whimpering voice began to cry, then timidly asked, “Is this one of Santa’s elves, then?”

That tiny voice was only the first of many as kids thinking they were connecting directly with Santa ringing off the hook with kids lined up by wire to say Hi and ask for goodies from Santa. Colonel Shoup “corrected course” and became a convincing Santa. He rose to the rare occasion by turning Cold War-era radar operators into North Pole elves— playing along by scanning monitors for indications of Santa time of arrival across North America. And that’s how the U.S. mighty military became an official Santa tracker.

Today, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD, CONAD’s successor) is a bi-national U.S. and Canadian organization tasked with aerospace warning and control. As a frontline in homeland defense, its slogan is “Deter, Detect, Defend.” But its most famous and favorite mission is watching the winter skies for the “big red one,” much as it has done since Col. Shoup answered the phone over 60 years ago.

You and your family can come to “Santa’s Village” today via the internet by simply typing in your search bar noradsanta.org. where kids can visit Santa’s interactive Village, listen to the US Air Force Academy Band play “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, track Santa on the fly with a mobile app.

Using the same technology used to perform their day-to-day mission— satellites, high-powered radars and jet fighters— NORAD tracks Santa Claus as he makes his Yuletide journey around the world.”

NORAD’s sleigh of different high-tech systems is used to read Rudolph’s infrared nose signature, capture high-speed video around the globe, and provide Santa and his reindeer with a NORAD fighter pilot escort. Fun fact to impress people at your holiday party: satellites and radar once clocked Santa’s flying delivery cart at 100 times faster than the Japanese bullet train.

Join in the fun this holiday by dropping into the North Pole, and enjoy listening to the Musical Stage” recording of over 25 memorable Christmas time tunes. Check out the NORAD gift shop and even learn how NORAD keeps America Safe, 24/7 through the committed effort of “America’s Finest”, the U.S. Military.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

Want to Know More about NORAD and the U.S. Air Force History? Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of Defense, NORAD, U.S. Air Force | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Holiday Reads for Year End 2017

December 18, 2017

There’s no better time of year than the days after your favorite holiday to curl up in an overstuffed chair and read a book. So take an adventure out of your routine and peruse one of America’s most interesting online bookstores; featuring titles of all kinds authored by “those in the know” across the federal government.

The US Government Bookstore provides you with easy access to federal publications where you’ll find an amazingly eclectic collection of titles: from the latest global economic, military or social issues, remembrances of wars fought by our older brothers and sisters, Dads and Grand-Dads, the nerve-rattling world of cybersecurity and how it can impact your daily lives to America’s infrastructure, surprising tips on child care and safety (to share with your children) , even spectacularly colorful calendars featuring NASA –out-of-this-solar system  interstellar graphics that are not only beautiful but educational as well.

Here are but a few gift and special items to consider:

Science Mission Planning Guide Calendar 2018. NASA creates one of the most educational and fun federal calendars every year. This year’s focus is science missions. Each month features a spectacular colorful photo; each an example of “nature’s art.” These arresting photographic images represent a moment in space and time brought to us by individuals committed to the scientific pursuit of knowledge and the advancement of humankind. A spectacular centerfold features the “Operating and Future Missions” of the NASA experience.

The City Becomes a Symbol: The U.S. Army in the Occupation of Berlin, 1945-1949 – Center of Military History. The City Becomes a Symbol tells the story of the first four tumultuous years of the U.S. Army’s occupation of West Berlin and how Berlin became the epicenter of superpower confrontation across all of Europe. The division of Berlin with occupation by Western and Soviet military forces set the stage for the decades-long face-off between the U.S. Army and Soviet forces until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Cyber Infrastructure Protection: Volume III.  This book addresses critical issues in cybersecurity. Topics discussed include: a cooperative international deterrence capability as an essential tool in cybersecurity; an estimation of the costs of cybercrime; the impact of prosecuting spammers on fraud and malware contained in email spam; cybersecurity and privacy in smart cities; smart cities demand smart security; and, a smart grid vulnerability assessment using national testbed networks.

Take a few minutes and go to: bookstore.gpo.gov for these and thousands of other excellent books and eBooks to help you become better informed. Start the New Year off all that wiser!

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Consumers, Family, Gifts | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

New Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education eBook

December 5, 2017

New Veterans Affairs eBook takes a look at the Veterans’ health care system and professional teamwork training through several case studies in primary care management for armed forces personnel.

Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education: Compendium of Five Case Studies: Lessons for Interprofessional Teamwork in Education and Workplace Learning Environments 2011-2016 is a new free downloadable PDF eBook produced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Office of Academic Affiliations.

This comprehensive resource places greater emphasis on continuing professional development and workplace-based learning to close the gap between the classroom and clinical practice for health professions trainees, interns and residents.  The Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education (CoEPCE) focus on improving health care through improvement in interprofessional collaboration and teamwork within clinical settings and models.

The first five CoEPCE ‘legacy sites’ (out of seven total CoE sites) developed the preliminary models at VA medical centers. These include the Boise PACT “ICU Model”, the Cleveland Dyad Model, the Seattle Panel Management Model, the San Francisco Huddle Model, and The West Haven Polypharmacy Model. Each site shares one case study example of educational curriculum and strategies that as an example of a strong practice that emerged between 2011-2016.  The case studies are intended to demonstrate instructional strategies that emphasize workplace learning to support transition to practice into interprofessional teams as health profession trainees prepare to practice Veteran-patient centered primary care.

The four core learning environment domains covered in this patient-focused medical improvement text are:

  • Shared Decision-Making (SDM)
  • Sustained Relationships (SR)
  • Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC)
  • Performance Improvement (PI)

Within each of these environmental parameters, you will learn about the practice-based learning model implemented with nurse practitioner students and residents, physician residents, pharmacy residents, psychology interns and psychology postdoctoral fellows, first-year medical students, licensed Vocational Nurses, Social Workers, Medical Support Assistants, Registered Nurse Care Managers, and other health care trainees and professionals, including faculty.  This volume also highlights some of the practice challenges in health care settings, especially in the health care of the Veterans’ community, such as monitoring, assessment, and treatment of high-risk, high needs patients, chronic disease management, scheduling and case management, practice partnerships, shared patient panels, and more.

This document provides a solid foundational study of the VA’s Centers of Excellence improvements in the U.S. Veteran primary care health system and patient care advancements.

This free downloadable PDF is available here from the US Government Online Bookstore.  It can also be found available for Free from  EBSCOhost, and ProQuest.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office in Washington, DC. Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution through platforms and vendors, such as Apple iBookstore, Barnes and Noble.com, Google Play eBookstore, Ebscohost databases, Overdrive, and more.

Leave a Comment » | Department of Veterans Affairs, ebooks | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Marine Corps Birthday–10 November

November 9, 2017

On November 10, 1775, the Continental Marines were established by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress. In commemoration of this important day, Major General John A. LeJeune issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921. This order is read aloud each year by every Marine Corps Command to honor the founding of the Marine Corps. Other celebrations include an annual birthday ball which is held at installations around the world.

In honor of the Marine Corps 242nd birthday, GPO offers a look at publications dealing with the United States Marine Corps and its rich history.

Those interested in uniforms should consult, The eagle, globe, and anchor, 1868-1968, which traces the history of the Marine Corps emblem and uniforms.

Diversity is important to the Marine Corps, two books:  Pride, progress, and prospects: the Marine Corps’ efforts to increase the presence of African-American officers (1970-1995) and Path Breakers U.S. Marine African American officers in their own words look at efforts to increase the number of African-American officers.

Free a Marine to fight: women Marines in World War II, History of the Women Marines, 1946-1977, and Women Marines in the 1980s look at women in the Marine Corps.

Herringbone cloak-GI dagger: Marines of the OSS uncovers the hidden role the Marines played in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Marines engage in international and humanitarian relief efforts. Humanitarian operations in northern Iraq, 1991 with Marines in Operation Provide Comfort looks at one such operation.

Camp Pendleton: the historic Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores and the U.S. Marine Corps in Southern California, a shared history, a new history of an iconic installation, maps the history of the Marine Corps in California.

For additional books on the Marine Corps, the U.S .Government Bookstore has:

Among Heroes: A Marine Corps Rifle Company on Peleliu discusses the 1944 World War II,  Pacific Battle of Peleliu.

The United States Marine Corps in the World War. In 1919, then-Major Edwin N. McClellan was charged with researching and writing the official history of Marines in the First World War. First published in 1920, the 2015 reprint includes additional information on key leaders, as well as, images not included in earlier editions.

U.S. Marines and Irregular Warfare, Training and Education, 2000-2010 is a brief history recounting how the U.S. Marine Corps adapted to fight the Global War on Terrorism during 2000–2010.

Pathbreakers: U.S. Marine African American Officers in Their Own Words discuss how African American military officers navigated their way through successful careers in the United States Marine Corps.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Click on the Links: For the free resources, click on the links above in the blog post.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Cynthia Earman is a Cataloging & Metadata Librarian in the Library Services & Content Management division of the U.S. Government Publishing Office.

Leave a Comment » | Military History, U.S. History, U.S. Marines, U.S. Navy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

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