An American in the Basement
The Betrayal of Captain Scott Speicher and the Cover-up of His Death
The ordeal of U.S. Navy Captain Michael Scott “Spike” Speicher, left to die after he was shot down over Iraq on January 17, 1991, is the latest in a chain of betrayals and cover-ups that have cost many an American serviceman his life. Now, Speicher’s story can finally be told in all its sad and sordid detail. An American in the Basement documents his shameful abandonment by our government, along with the history of America’s prisoners of war and missing in action, dating back to our nation’s beginnings, and revealing for the first time information that the American public was never meant to know.
No One Left Behind
The Lt. Comdr. Michael Scott Speicher Story
On the opening eve of the Gulf War, an American pilot was shot down over Iraq. Two years later, the stunning discovery of the wreckage set of an investigation that, despite government insistence to the contrary, proved that the pilot had not only survived the crash, but was captured and might still be alive today…
Amy Waters Yarsinske, a former intelligence officer and POW/MIA expert, breaks the incredible true story of the first American pilot shot down during the Gulf War – found alive eleven years after his own government left him for dead. No One Left Behind was her first book on this critically important case that would shake the long-held perception that POW/MIA was synonymous with Vietnam.
The Navy Capital of the World
Hampton Roads
From the famous Civil War Ironclads that clashed in its waters to the great battleships that gathered off Norfolk’s Sewell’s Point as part of President Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet, the Hampton Roads region of Virginia has maintained a proud naval tradition. Into the twentieth century, the maritime region has remained on the cutting edge of military technology as the nucleus for the birth of naval aviation and the trained site for scores of men who stormed the beaches of Europe and the Pacific during World War II.
Forward for Freedom
The Story of Battleship Wisconsin (BB-64)
With the state motto of Wisconsin emblazoned on the ribbon below the seal of her ship’s insignia, the Big Whiskey has navigated the globe to honor the initiative of her namesake state to move “forward” for freedom and best serve the interest of the United States abroad. The battleship’s silhouette was designed to highlight the Wisconsin’s powerful sixteen-inch guns, exceptional girth and strong armor, and is remarkable for its crossed cutlass and sword that represent the combat readiness of the enlisted personnel and officers aboard the BB-64.
A Salute to NATO
Celebrating Fifty Years of Norfolk’s International Azalea Festival
Today it would be hard to imagine Norfolk without its spring rite of passage – the International Azalea Festival – now in its fiftieth year. Ask someone in 1954, the festival’s first year, if they thought the event would be going strong a half century later and optimism might not have reigned as enthusiastically as the first queen. Not until the 1957 festival did leading Norfolk citizens in the sponsoring Chamber of Commerce decide the festival “was here to stay.”
Jamestown Exposition
American Imperialism on Parade
Volume I
In 1907, Norfolk hosted the Jamestown Exposition, a celebration of America’s first permanent settlement on April 26, 1607, and an event that marked America’s ascension as a world power. in both military might and cultural influence. This exposition came at a time in American history when naval reviews, grandiose celebrations, world’s fairs and international expositions were at their zenith of public popularity. These were the days when American imperialism reigned and expositions were an expression of patriotic fervor as never before seen in this country.
Jamestown Exposition
American Imperialism on Parade
Volume II
The fascinating story of the Jamestown Exposition of 1907, a tricentennial celebration of America’s first settlement in 1607, continues to unfold in this companion volume, which explores the exposition’s parades, exhibitions, and the people who worked and participated in the days’ events. Not only important as a statewide event, the exposition provided the United States government and many other states a stage to display their history and culture for the whole world to see and enjoy.
Wings of Valor, Wings of Gold
An Illustrated History of U.S. Naval Aviation
This exhaustively researched book written by author and historian Amy Waters Yarsinske traces the rich history of naval aviation from the Hampton Roads perspective in 360 pages of text and 625 black and white and color photographs and illustrations, most of which have never before been published.
Hampton Roads is the birthplace of naval aviation, yet a comprehensive history of naval aviation has never been undertaken. The history and current events of aviators, their aircraft, aviation milestones and technological advances could fill volumes – the story is rich, full of colorful personalities, and great adventure. The book begins weaving the story of naval aviation in Norfolk and vicinity in 1861, ending in the present