eCheat.com RSS Feedhttps://www.echeat.com/ The Making of a Recon Marine The making of a recon marine is a process that entails years of training and experience. The selection, Academics and physical training are some of the most rigorous in the military today. The basic reconnaissance course teaches not only to be an amphibious warrior but also an unrivaled leader and critical thinker. These men at the end of their training will be highly skilled and motivated shadow warriors. The selection process of these candidates begin promptly at 4a.m., First with extended calisthenics and a physical fitness test. Then a 1500 meter open ocean swim and concludes with an unknown distance forced march. After completion of the physical portion comes the oral board and record review. The oral board's consist of various questions on general knowledge from senior enlisted marines and team leadership. Record examination is when marines are scored on awards, marksmanship, general aptitude score and proficiency / conduct marks. The marines will not know if they are selected until all of the evolutions are complete. The initial portion of training begins with the "ropers" going into the training platoon. The term "ropers" is borrowed from the Reconnaissance Indoctrination Platoon (indoc platoon) which dissolved in 2004. The candidates will be called this until graduation from the basic reconnaissance course. The second phase of training for the candidates is the basic recon course. This 65 day course is mentally and physically demanding. The days are long and hard, usually starting at 4 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. A typical day at the course, is 3 hours of physical training, 6 hours of class and 3 more hours of physical exercise or patrolling. The failure rate for this course is close to 85%! The follow on courses after completion of the basic recon course are Basic parachutists course, combat diver course and joint terminal air controller course.. Upon successful completion of all of the courses, the marines will be assigned to a platoon and further to their respective teams. Joining the team is a pivotal moment in the process. It is where the marines use the basic skills they have learned and hone them into a craft. The marines are taught to train as they fight. All that is done in a training evolution is done as if they were in an actual combat situation. The marines eat, sleep, shoot and suffer together. This builds camaraderie and esprit de corp two 2012-03-26T22:47:53.23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Making-of-a-Recon-Marine-34525.aspx Robert E. Lee Biography Robert E. Lee Biography Robert E. Lee was born in Virginia on January 19, 1807. Robert E. Lee’s father fought in George Washington’s army. As a child Robert and his brother begged his father to tell them about what he did in the army. Roberts father told them the stories many times, but they never got sick of them and always wanted to hear them again. Soon Roberts father had to go on a trip to the West Indies. Roberts Father took him and his brother for a walk before he left. He told them “To be good while he was away, and to always do what you think is best.” A short time after that Roberts father went to the West Indies. Robert never ended up seeing him again. But he never forgot what his father said that day. Robert and his brother weren’t the only children. There were three other children besides Smith and Robert. They were Carter, Ann and a baby named Mildred. Robert loved to ride horses. Robert was speaking to one of his family friends Mary Custis. Mary was a step great- granddaughter of George Washington. He was discussing that he wanted to go to college but it was too expensive. He wanted to go to West Point, a Military Academy, but only a few boys from each state were accepted. Mrs. Lee asked and Roberts’s relatives wrote letters to the Secretary of War saying that Robert was a fine young man. One morning Robert found a letter, which he would find out that he was accepted to West Point. He went through many weeks of training. Robert graduated from West Point as second rank in his class. Robert Fought in many wars and became very powerful and victorious. He fought in the Mexican War, his first war. Later in Robert's life, he was commanded to lead the war against Richmond, Virginia. But Robert refused and instead resigned from the United States Army. Lee Headed the Southerners and won the war against the Northerners. Robert saved Richmond. Lee's greatest victory was against the Northerners; he greatly defeated them with only sixty thousand men while they had one hundred and thirty thousand men. But soon the south became week. Lee decided to invade the North 2006-08-07T07:56:52-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Robert-E_-Lee-Biography--31094.aspx Biography of Adolf Hitler Biography of Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler, aka 'Der Führer' ('The Leader'). Was born in Germany. He was directly responsible for the deaths of 66 million world wide, during the second World War. Following the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles penalizes the defeated Germany, annexing land, imposing large war reparations, limiting the size of the army and blaming Germany and Austria-Hungary for starting the conflict. The new German government, a coalition of left-leaning and centrist parties, attempts to rebuild the country but faces opposition from the right and extreme left. The instability is exacerbated by the failure of the domestic and global economies. Born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria, into a middle class family. His father is a customs official.. After finishing secondary school he lives in Vienna and attempts to study art but is twice rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts. 3 - He moves to Munich. When the First World War breaks out the following year be volunteers for service with the German army, joining the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. He serves with distinction throughout the war and is awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class, in December 1914, and the Iron Cross, First Class, in August 1918. Following the war, Hitler returns to Munich and begins to become involved in politics. He joins the German Workers' Party in September. A gifted and inspiring public speaker, he is soon placed in charge of the party's propaganda. In 1920 the party is renamed the National Socialist (Nazi) Party. The party's platform calls for the removal of civil rights for Jews and for their expulsion from Germany. As the German economy begins to buckle under the weight of the enormous war reparations demanded by the Allies, popular support for the Nazis begins to increase. Inflation and unemployment climb. The German government loses its majority in the elections of 1920, introducing a decade long period of political instability. The Nazi Party's "storm troopers", used to protect party meeting and attack opponents, are formally organized into a private army, the Sturmabteilung (SA), the 'Brown shirts'. Hitler becomes leader of the Nazi Party in July. Inflation skyrockets and is fuelled when the government begins printing more and more money. The value of the Deutschmark plummets. In mid-1920 US$1 is worth 40 marks. By November 1923 US$1 is worth 4.2 trillion marks. Social unrest begins to escalate. 2006-07-25T12:41:24-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biography-of-Adolf-Hitler-30630.aspx Life and Accomplishments of Gaius Julius Caesar Life and Accomplishments of Gaius Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar was a brilliant general, a great politician, and a powerful dictator of the Roman republic. He was born on July 17, 100 BC and he was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. Caesar's rise to power was not an easy one, in 73 BC he was made a pontiff in Rome. He gained alot of popularity because of this and because he sided with those seeking power outside the circle of nobles, who at that time dominated the Roman senate. He also gained popularity with the Gauls in 68 BC by supporting them for Roman citizenship. Caesar became the governor of Spain in 61 BC after Crassus had helped pay his creditors after some financial issues. Military actions in Spain helped further restore Caesar's financial security. Caesar outwitted his political enemies by passing up his triumph. He did this in order to win the election to the consulate with the support of Pompey and Crassus. At this time Crassus was the richest man in Rome. Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus formed what was known as the first triumvirate, which means a government of three men, in 60-59 BC. These actions were takin to further their political success. While the triumvirate ruled , the senate became very angered. This led to the breakup of the senate, which gave the triumvirate even more power. Caesar also recieved the governorships of Lllyricum, Cisalpine Gaul, and Transalpine Gaul. He was also given control over a large army that he used to rule over Gaul. He gained alot of political strength from the Gallic Wars which lasted from 58 to 51 BC. With Caesar spending most of his time in the north, Pompey gathered most of his power by making a good relationship with the senate. The Gallic Wars were not Caesar's most famous wars, the wars with Pompey probably hold that title. Although Caesar's daughter, Julia, was married to Pompey, friction between the two developed. This friction was encouraged by Crassus. The death of Julia in 54 BC and the death of Crassus in 53 BC destroyed Caesar and Pompey's relationship. In 52 BC Pompey was made sole consul. In 50 BC Pompey joined with Caesar's political enemies, and ordered Caesar to disassemble his army. Instead, Caesar crossed the Rubicon River into Italy and fought against Pompey, which created another civil war in Rome. In many 2006-07-03T23:29:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Life-and-Accomplishments-of-Gaius-Julius-Caesar-29961.aspx Analysis of Biography of Hannibal from Carthage Analysis of Biography of Hannibal from Carthage Hannibal, Invader From Carthage by Robert N. Webb is a biography that focuses on and highlights the life and times of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general. Hannibal is best remembered as the courageous warrior who led an army of thousands and thousands of men, thirty-seven elephants, and a number of horses across Spain, the Alps, and Italy, on a mission to conquer Rome. The author does an admirable job showing different views of Hannibal. He quotes other historians and poets throughout the course of the book, such as Livy, Polybius, and Lord Byron. Quoting other historians is an effective system of writing, because it is not just Webb reciting facts, but other famous writers giving interpretations as well. As a boy, and all during his adult life, Hannibal was exposed to the traumas of war and battles. This probably is the reason why he was exceptionally fearless and brave. Hannibal became one of the greatest generals of all time, and is labeled by historians as a military genius superior to fearless heroes such as Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte. Hannibal, born in Sicily in 251 BC, was always close to war. The first five years of his life set the pattern for his future. Soldiers, who were mercenaries of about six different races, always surrounded him. Hannibal’s father, Hamilcar, led Carthaginian forces against Rome for the last six years of the First Punic War. Hamilcar was very bright, and was always coming up with brilliant ways to attack the Romans. Hannibal was with his father when Hamilcar raised his army of mercenaries, who were ferocious warriors. Hannibal received all of his skills from his father. During Hannibal’s time as leader of the Carthaginians, he always used force of arms, even when they were not necessary. He displayed much courage and talent in battle. Not only was Hannibal a great warrior, but he was highly educated for his time. Acts of pure genius and reasoning saved him during difficult and strenuous times in his prime years. A significant historical aspect of the book is in general Hannibal and the Carthaginian’s hate towards the Romans. The Carthaginians always had an edge, because Hannibal was so brilliant. For example, Hannibal planned invasions when the Romans least suspected them. Hannibal’s army could not invade by sea, because the Roman navy was in control of the seaports. 2006-06-27T03:23:51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Biography-of-Hannibal-from-Carthage-29883.aspx Folklore and Stephen Vincent Benet Folklore and Stephen Vincent Benet In 1898, Stephen Vincent Benet was born into a military family in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He had an older brother and one sister, all of who became well known authors of the 20th century. As Stephen grew up he constantly heard folktales that had been passed down from generation to generation, and as he began to write books, his great knowledge of folklore becomes evident. In the story, The Devil and Daniel Webster, Benet writes a classic short story about how a normal human could soften the hearts of not only 12 of the most ruthless and heartless criminals in the history of the USA, but also the heart of the Devil himself. The elements that classify it as a folk lore is the fact that it is very unlikely to happen, the story contains many characters that are the classic stereotypes and it ends with a general truth about life. In actual life, the situation that is presented in The Devil and Daniel Webster is highly unlikely to happen which is one element that qualifies it as folklore. In the first chapter of the book, Jabez Stone and the devil strike up a deal, “and they went out behind the barn and made their bargain.”(TD&DW 197). Although some may argue that this is possible, it is still very unlikely to actually happen in real life. In Benets’ Reader’s Encyclopedia, it tells us how his father encouraged Benet to pursue writing, “His interest in literature, left his mark on his children…”(Benets’ Readers Encyclopedia 162) Using his fathers love for literature, Benet began to aim his life toward literature. A selection from The Devil and Daniel Webster says, “For the glitter was gone from the eyes of judge and jury, and, for the moment, they were men again, and knew they were men.”(TD&DW 207) This selection shows just how unlikely the story is to happen because Benet is suggesting that mire human could change the views of some of the most ruthless men in history, something that could not be done by any other man during their lives. And one of the most unbelievable selections is, “One and all, they came into the room with the fires of hell still upon them…”(TD&DW 204) Benet is suggesting that 12 men were brought back from the fires of hell to sit 2006-06-16T14:20:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Folklore-and-Stephen-Vincent-Benet-29587.aspx The Influence of Napolean Bonaparte on History The Influence of Napolean Bonaparte on History Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Through his military exploits and his ruthless efficiency, Napoleon rose from obscurity to become Napoleon I, Emperor of France. He is both a historical figure and a legend -- and it is sometimes difficult to separate the two. The events of his life fired the imaginations of great writers, film makers, and playwrights whose works have done much to create the Napoleonic legend. Napoleon was one of the greatest military commanders in history. He has also been portrayed as a power hungry conqueror. Was he a megalomaniac, and was this an advantage or disadvantage to his rule over France? Napoleon denied being such a conqueror. He argued that, instead, he had attempted to build a federation of free peoples in a Europe united under a liberal government. But if this was his goal, he intended to achieve it by concentrating power in his own hands. However, in the states he created, Napoleon granted constitutions, introduced law codes, abolished feudalism, created efficient governments and fostered education, science, literature and the arts. He was a megalomaniac and because of his desire for complete control, he was defeated and exiled; therefore making it a disadvantage over his rule of France. One reason for napoleon’s megalomania was his childhood. He was put into the finest military schools and was taught military tactics and warfare#. Without this napoleon would have probably never learned the skills he did at the school, and would have never become the power hungry leader he eventually became. Napoleon’s childhood was different from an average child’s life. He was a very small, fiery, hot tempered boy#. He loved to argue and fight with his brother and even elders#. He beat his brother when fighting, even though Giuseppe was more than a year older than him#. He had a very large superego and was very conscientious. Although with all these aggressive aspects, he was very generous#. He went to military and preparatory schools. He started school at the age of five and was very serious about school#. He loved arithmetic, this love of mathematics caused him to become an artillery officer in the French army#. He developed his fiery nature as a child. He was very extroverted from the other boys in the school. This temper and anger ultimately caused him 2006-06-14T23:11:59-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Influence-of-Napolean-Bonaparte-on-History-29491.aspx The Life of General Robert E. Lee The Life of General Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee was the most beloved General in American History. His accomplishments have traveled through history as being unmatched by any other American General in History. He earned respect by hard work and discipline. He was a leader by example, and would never ask his men to do something he himself would not do. He graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1829. He later becomes the Superintendent of West Point in 1852. He would have preferred duty in the field rather that duty behind a desk, but worked without complaint. While Superintendent at West Point, he improved the buildings, the courses, and spent a lot of time with the cadets. When war broke out between United States and Mexico in 1846, Lee was sent to Texas to serve as Assistant Engineer under John E. Wool. All his superior officers were impressed with Lee, especially General Winfield Scott. Lee supervised the construction of bridges for Wools troops to march towards the Mexican border. Lee also served as a scout for the Army. This was very dangerous work. Once when he was out on a scouting mission, a couple of Mexican solders went to a spring to get a drink of water, Lee quickly jumped under a log where he stayed for hours in hiding as more Mexican solders arrived to play games on the log that he was hiding under. When the solders left, Lee was able to make it back to his unit. Lee was asked by Winfield Scott to help plan the battle of Vera Cruz. He was also asked to find out the best way to besiege the city and to find out what the Mexican General Santa Anna was planning. Lee overcame days upon end without sleep in order to minimize the number of American causalities. As the battle proceeded, Lee without realizing ordered his brothers artillery piece into action. “I could see his white teeth through all the smoke of the fire.” Lee wrote to his wife Mary. When war broke out between the states in 1861, Lee was asked by the President of the United States Abraham Lincoln to led the army of the North and to crush the Southern states rebellion against the United States of America. Lee was disturbed 2006-06-13T19:07:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Life-of-General-Robert-E_-Lee-29464.aspx Life Story of France's Napolean Bonaparte Life Story of France's Napolean Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte attendted military school in france, graduating as an artillery officer. As he continues gaining power and winning war after war his marriage with Joesaphine was loosing pasion. In the end Napoleon was beaten and exiled to island of Elba, where he prepared troops and marched back to Paris. Bonaparte was born in 1769 on the island of Corsica. He attended a military school in FRance and every day he would trade his sandwiches for military rasions. After graduating he became one of the greatest generals of all times 2006-06-11T01:19:47-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Life-Story-of-France-s-Napolean-Bonaparte-29145.aspx Hitler Biography Biography - Hitler Hitler's Early Life - Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, the fourth child of Alois Schickelgruber and Klara Hitler in the Austrian town of Braunau. Two of his siblings died from diphtheria when they were children, and one died shortly after birth. Alois was a customs official, illegitimate by birth, who was described by his housemaid as a "very strict but comfortable" man. Young Adolf was showered with love and affection by his mother. By 1900, Hitler's talents as an artist surfaced.Adolf's father died in 1903 after suffering a pleural hemorrhage. Adolf himself suffered from lung infections, and he quit school at the age of 16, partially the result of ill health and partially the result of poor school work. In May 1913, Hitler, seeking to avoid military service, left Vienna for Munich, the capital of Bavaria, following a windfall received from an aunt who was dying. In January, the police came to his door bearing a draft notice The document threatened a year in prison and a fine if he was found guilty of leaving his native land with the intent of evading conscription. Hitler was arrested on the spot and taken to the Austrian Consulate. Upon reporting to Salzburg for duty, he was found "unfit...too weak...and unable to bear arms." Hitler's World War I Service - When World War I was touched off by the assassination by a Serb of the heir to the Austrian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Hitler's passions against foreigners, particularly Slavs, were inflamed. He was caught up in the patriotism of the time, and submitted a petition to enlist in the Bavarian army. After less than two months of training, Hitler's regiment saw its first combat near Ypres, against the British and Belgians. Hitler narrowly escaped death in battle several times, and was eventually awarded two Iron Crosses for bravery. He rose to the rank of lance corporal but no further. In October 1916, he was wounded by an enemy shell and evacuated to a Berlin area hospital. After recovering, and serving a total of four years in the trenches, he was temporarily blinded by a mustard gas attack in Belgium in October 1918. Communist-inspired insurrections shook Germany while Hitler was recovering from his injuries. Some Jews were leaders of these abortive revolutions, and this inspired hatred of Jews as well as Communists. On November 9th, the Kaiser abdicated and 2006-01-21T06:49:13-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hitler-Biography-28446.aspx A Biography Vladimir Lenin A Biography: Vladimir Lenin Tense with expectation, the founder of Russian communism returned from exile to St. Petersburg on April 16, 1917, in a sealed railroad car supplied by his country’s age-old enemy, Germany. The homeland, to which he returned, was ravaged by war and starvation. Near collapse and anarchy, Russia was primed for Vladimir Ilyich Lenin’s impassioned message: “The people need peace, the people need bread, the people need land. We must fight for the social revolution!” For the next seven years, Lenin gave his countrymen that revolution, one of the most pivotal events of the 20th century. He also gave them chaos, longer bread lines, and a legacy of terror that, while reminiscent of earlier despots in his nation’s history, was unique in its vast scale. A master strategist, he combined practicality and idealism to achieve his end, a new kind of utopianism, which sacrificed community to coercion and forbade dissent. Lenin’s single-party dictatorship would marry the intellect to the gun like no other before it, forever changing the global political order. By the time of Lenin’s death in 1924, the bulwark of Soviet-style totalitarianism — mass executions, the secret police, intellectual repression, arbitrary violence, and concentration camps — stood firm. Even as the son of a hereditary nobleman, Lenin’s philosophy was molded leftward. Born on April 22, 1870, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was immersed as an adolescent in his family’s dedication to bettering the lot of the common folk. Perhaps because his parents were teachers, he was also drawn to a life of the mind. He played the piano and excelled at chess, being equally magnanimous in victory and defeat. While he studied law at the University of St. Peters-burg, his older brother Aleksandr was hanged for plotting to assassinate Czar Alexander III. By the time Lenin passed his final examination, he was already a convert to Marxist theory. As an international activist and a member of the radical Union of Struggle, he was arrested in 1895 and sent to Siberia, where he completed his first major theoretical work, The Development of Capitalism in Russia. It reflected his growing belief that some spark was needed to radicalize the consciousness of his nation’s workers. Upon his release, Lenin spent the next 17 years mostly in western Europe, editing socialist organs such as Iskra (The Spark). In 1902, his influential tract, “What Is To Be Done?,” appeared, postulating a secret vanguard of professional 2006-01-03T07:31:46-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Biography-Vladimir-Lenin-28393.aspx Genghis Khan Genghis Khan The old world had many great leaders. Alexander the Great, Hannibal and even Julius Caesar met with struggle on their rise to power. Perhaps Genghis Khan was the most significant of all these rulers. To prove that Genghis Khan was the greatest ruler, we must go back to the very beginning of his existence. We must examine such issues as; Genghis’s struggle for power/how his life as a child would affect his rule, his personal and military achievements and his conquests. Genghis Khan was originally born as Temujin in 1167. He showed early promise as a leader and a fighter. By 1206, an assembly of Mongolian chieftains proclaimed him Genghis Khan. Which meant Universal or invincible prince. This was a bold move for the assembly. They obviously saw some leadership qualities in Genghis that others didn’t. When Genghis Khan was little, his chieftain father poisoned. With no leader left, the tribe abandoned Genghis and his mother. They were left alone for many years to care for themselves. Throughout these years, his family met many hardships such as shortage of food and shortage of money. Though unable to read, Genghis was a very wise man. His mother told him at a very early age the importance of trust and independence. "Remember, you have no companions but your shadow" Grolier Encyclopedia. (1995) CD ROM This quote was to mean to Genghis, don’t put to much trust in anyone, trust no one but yourself and if you must go your own way then do so. In 1206, Genghis Khan proclaimed the ruler of Mongolia. Genghis was a very respected leader. Like other leaders he knew what his people wanted. They want everything that is good and nothing that is bad. Genghis knew he could not promise this so instead he pledged to share both the sweet and the bitter of life. Genghis did not want to end up being poisoned like his father so instead he made alliances, and attacked anyone who posed a serious threat. Through this method of leadership, Genghis¹¹s army grew to the point where they were unbeatable. Genghis contributed alot of items to the Chinese and even western civilizations. Perhaps his greatest contribution was a code of laws that he declared. Since Genghis couldn’t read or write, these law were documented by one of his followers. His laws were carried on by people though the many generations to 2005-12-25T00:41:35-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Genghis-Khan--28234.aspx The Things They Carried Men in the Vietnam War go through different actions like being ambushed and attacking the enemy which may make them feel different emotionally. These men deal with everyday death and other horrific conditions of the war. The soldiers in the novel The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, have been put through emotional and physical situations in and out of the battle field. To keep themselves from breaking into post traumatic stress or any other kind of emotion, the men joke about death instead of letting it have an effect on them, feel misplaced anger, and ponder over memories to help remember good things. When feeling down one may feel a need to laugh and make jokes about the bad or good situations that are happening. In this case the men joke about the deaths of other soldiers. For Instance, Curt Lemon’s died by a tossing a smoke grenade with Rat Kiley, the shade of some trees and stepped into the sunlight and onto a rigged mortar round. “I remember pieces of skin and something wet and yellow that must’ve been the intestines. The gore was horrible and stays with me. But what wakes me up twenty years later is Dave Jensen singing “Lemon Tree” as we threw down the pars”(83). Regardless how anyone died making jokes is one action to keep these men entertained. Instead of looking at the reality of death itself, little comments were made by the soldiers to how it was caused. Kiowa made a comment how Ted Lavender died “he was zapped while zipping“. “They used a hard vocabulary to contain the terrible softness. Greased they’d say. Offed, lit up zapped while. It wasn’t cruelty, just stage presence. They were actors. When someone died, It wasn’t quite dying because in a curious way it seemed scripted, and because they had their lines mostly memorized, irony mixed with tragedy, and because they called it by other names, as if to encyst and destroy the reality of death itself. They kicked corpses. They cut off thumbs. They talked grunt lingo”(20). Humor may be the only emotion to be used as a comfort to the soldiers aside from killing. The men wore a disguise, like a mask to cover feelings of calmness that wouldn’t be shown. These mask‘s are not real just more of a barrier to keep there feelings from being expressed. In the same way, Azar 2005-10-06T05:25:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Things-They-Carried--28041.aspx Commander Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler is one of the world's most infamous dictators. His childhood strongly shaped his personality, along with many factors that determined the kind of person he became. Hitler had a difficult childhood. His father was an illegitimate child, and it is thought that Adolf's grandfather was Jewish. This possible Jewish blood made Hitler's father angry, and he took his anger out on his children, especially Adolf. As he grew older, I think Hitler thought that the death of every single Jew could hide the fearful, brutal, and embarrassing memory of his father. I think Hitler felt that it was up to him to rid himself and Germany of Jewish blood. Another event that happened in his life was that his mother died when he was a teenager, and that probably gave him a feeling of grief, loss, and maybe even anger in his life. Adolf had two dreams as a young boy. He had first wanted to become a Catholic priest, but when he discovered art, he found his new dream. Hitler was not a good student, and he disliked all of his teachers but one. His history teacher was a strong German nationalist and a follower of the Pan German movement. This meant that he believed in the superiority of the light skinned European race and scorned races who, in the Pan German's eyes, were inferior, mainly Jews. This teacher could also have had an effect on Hitler. After dropping out of school at age 16, Hitler pursued his dream of becoming an artist. He went to Vienna and applied to a prestigious art school. When he got turned down, he stayed in Vienna for about 5 years, living in poverty. I think that Hitler's stay in Vienna had a huge effect, because it was there that he learned about things like anti-Semitism. The city had many different ethnic groups, and racism was common. There were many Jewish immigrants, and it had the largest Jewish population of any city in Europe. The Jews were hated because they had their own custom, dress, and religion, which made them stand out to others in Germany. Newstands in Vienna had many anti-Semitism pamphlets, and Adolf probably developed his hatred for Jews here. The pamphlets also could have given him an outlet for his anger and disappointment. Hitler at first tried to dodge the 2005-08-04T06:33:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Commander-Adolf-Hitler-27537.aspx General Chuck Yeager General Chuck Yeager U.S. Air Force pilot Charles ("Chuck") E. Yeager was born on February 13, 1923, in Myra, West Virginia. Yeager was the first person to fly a plane faster than the speed of sound. His father was a driller for natural gas in the West Virginia coal fields. As the United States began mobilizing for World War II, Yeager enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1941 at the age of 18. In 1943 he became a flight officer, a non-commissioned officer who could pilot aircraft. He went to England where he flew fighter planes over France and Germany during the last two years of the war. In his first eight missions, at the age of 20, Yeager shot down two German fighters. On his ninth mission he was shot down over German-occupied France, suffering flak wounds. He bailed out of the plane and was rescued by members of the French resistance who smuggled him across the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain. In Spain he was jailed briefly but made his way back to England where he flew fighter planes in support of the Allied invasion of Normandy. On October 12, 1944, Yeager took on and shot down five German fighter planes in succession. On November 6, flying a propeller-driven P-51 Mustang, he shot down one of the new jet fighters the Germans had developed, the Messerschmidt-262, and damaged two more. On November 20 he shot down four FW-190s. By the end of the war, at which time he was 22 years old, he was credited with having shot down 13.5 German planes (one was also claimed by another pilot). In 1946 and 1947 Yeager was trained as a test pilot at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. He showed great talent for stunt-team flying and was chosen to go to Muroc Field in California, later to become Edwards Air Force Base, to work on the top-secret XS-1 project. At the end of the war, the U.S. Army had found that the Germans had not only developed the world's first jet fighter but also a rocket plane that had tested at speeds as fast as 596 miles an hour. Just after the war, a British jet, the Gloster Meteor, had raised the official world speed record to 606 miles per hour. The next record to be broken was to attain the speed of sound, Mach 1, which was what the XS-1 2005-08-01T06:47:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/General-Chuck-Yeager--27498.aspx Henry Philippe Petain’s Life Henry Philippe Petain’s Life Henry Philippe Petain was born into a family of peasants in Cauchy-a-la-Tour on April 24, 1856. Petain played an important role in World War II and he is recognized for his achievements. He was known for being the head of the Vichy government by using military tactics. His whole life revolved around the military, trying to make it stronger. At the age of twenty, Petain joined the French Army. He attended a military academy, St. Cyr, and graduated at the age of 31. He later became a teacher at the Ecole de Guerre Military School. There, he studied the Russo-Japanese War and thought of some military tactics that he would later use. He believed that a powerful defense would consist of an increased number of shots made with modern weapons would cause the enemy to retreat. Many believed the opposite of his ideas, including Ferdinand Foch (Spartacus). At the beginning of World War I, Peatain was near retirement but still fought in the war but only was a colonel of infantry. During the first couple of months, he began to advance very rapidly in rank. By the middle of 1915, he became a general of the Second Army. All of his soldiers trusted him because he seldom made mistakes. In February of 1916, Joseph Joffre ordered him to defend the fortress of Verdun. He stopped Germany’s attack that lasted six months. Petain directed the French armies in the offensives that later ended the war (Sacklunch). Many with higher power trusted his ideas of not waging an offensive war and started the construction of the Maginot Line during World War II. In May of 1940, Premier Paul Reynaud invited Petain to join the cabinet. Everyone wanted to hear what he had to say about the situation where the French Military had collapsed. He told the cabinet that it would be useless to resist and told them to sign an armistice. On June o16, 1940, the armistice was signed. The French Government then moved to Vichy France, and area that was unoccupied. On July 10, 1940 Petain was voted power to construct a constitution. He then declared himself the head of the Vichy government, and the head of the state. Petain was playing a game with Germany, because 2005-07-27T05:30:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Henry-Philippe-Petain’s-Life-27407.aspx Robert E. Lee Biography Robert E. Lee Robert E. Lee was born in Stratford Hall, near Montross, Virginia, on January 19, 1807. He was a very serious boy and spent many hours in his father’s library. He loved to play with some of his friends, swim, and he loved to hunt. Lee looked up to his father and always wanted to know what he was doing. George Washington and his father, “Light-Horse Harry Lee,” were his heroes. He wanted to be just like his father when he grew up. In the 1820’s, the entrance requirements for West Point were not close to as strict as they are now. It still was not that easy to become a cadet. Robert Lee entered the United States Military Academy at West Point where his classmates admired him for his brilliance, leadership, and his love for his work. He graduated from the academy with high honors in 1829, and he was ranked as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers at the age of 21. When war broke out between the United States and Mexico in 1846, the army sent Lee to Texas to serve as assistant engineer under General John E. Wool. All his superior officers, especially General Winfield Scott, were impressed with Lee. At Cerro Gordo he led the first line of men into battle. The Americans won, then came the biggest battle of the war. The Americans attacked a fort outside Mexico City. Lee planned the attack. For days he worked without sleep. He found out where the Mexican soldiers were. He knew where to put the big guns. It was easy for the Army to take the fort. The American Army marched right into Mexico City. The war was now officially over. When Texas seceded from the Union in 1861, Lee was called to Washington D.C. to wait for further orders. Unlike many Southerners, Lee did not believe in slavery and did not favor secession. He felt that slavery had an evil effect on masters as well as slaves. Long before the war, he had freed the few slaves whom he had inherited. Lee greatly admired George Washington, and hated the thought of a divided nation. He was willing to leave the union, as Washington had left the British Empire, to fight 2005-06-16T04:42:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Robert-E_-Lee-Biography--26868.aspx Biography of Genghis Khan Biography of Genghis Khan The old world had many great leaders. Alexander the Great, Hannibal and even Julius Caesar met with struggle on their rise to power. Perhaps Genghis Khan was the most significant of all these rulers. To prove that Genghis Khan was the greatest ruler, we must go back to the very beginning of his existence. We must examine such issues as; Genghis¹s struggle for power/how his life as a child would affect his rule, his personal and military achievements and his conquests. Genghis Khan was originally born as Temujin in 1167. He showed early promise as a leader and a fighter. By 1206, an assembly of Mongolian chieftains proclaimed him Genghis Khan. Which meant Universal or invincible prince. This was a bold move for the assembly. They obviously saw some leadership qualities in Genghis that others didn¹t. When Genghis Khan was little, his chieftain father poisoned. With no leader left, the tribe abandoned Genghis and his mother. They were left alone for many years to care for themselves. Throughout these years, his family met many hardships such as shortage of food and shortage of money. Though unable to read, Genghis was a very wise man. His mother told him at a very early age the importance of trust and independence. "Remember, you have no companions but your shadow" Grolier Encyclopedia. (1995) CD ROM This quote was to mean to Genghis, don¹t put to much trust in anyone, trust no one but yourself and if you must go your own way then do so. In 1206, Genghis Khan proclaimed the ruler of Mongolia. Genghis was a very respected leader. Like other leaders he knew what his people wanted. They want everything that is good and nothing that is bad. Genghis knew he could not promise this so instead he pledged to share both the sweet and the bitter of life. Genghis did not want to end up being poisoned like his father so instead he made alliances, and attacked anyone who posed a serious threat. Through this method of leadership, Genghis¹s army grew to the point where they were unbeatable. Genghis contributed alot of items to the chinese and even western civilizations. Perhaps his greatest contribution was a code of laws that he declared. Since Genghis couldn¹t read or write, these law were documented by one of his followers. His laws were carried on by people though the many generations to the 2005-05-27T05:46:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biography-of-Genghis-Khan-26769.aspx Biography of General Henry Knox The Life of Henry Knox Henry Knox was born on July 25, 1750 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the son to William and Mary Campbell Knox. His parents were both pioneers from Northern Ireland. Henry was the seventh of ten children. William Knox was a shipmaster that traded among the West Indies. He suffered from money difficulties and mental stress, passing away at the age of fifty. Because of this, Henry gave up school and became the sole support for his mother.1 At the age of 12, he was employed by a Boston bookseller. Then in 1771, he opened his own shop, the London Bookstore, which became a gathering place for British officers.2 This position that allowed him to acquire a considerable part of his education. He read much of Plutarch and learned of ancient heroes, of military tactics and strategy, and became knowledable in military science.3 Henry Knox joined a local military group when he was 18. He supported the American cause, and in 1772, he became a member of the Boston Grenadier Corps. He was prominent in the colonial militia and tried to keep the Boston citizenry and British soldiers from the clash known as the Boston Massacre. He was a volunteer in June 1775 at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He served under General Ward, in charge of the colonials around Boston.4 In 1775, Washington arrived in Boston, taking command of the army. It was here where Washington developed a friendship with Knox. Washington realized the need of artillery in the American forces and found Knox to be well educated on the subject. Washington asked his opinion on what the army should do. The thought of Knox was to use the cannons from the captured Fort Ticonderoga. Knox was commissioned a colonel, placed in charge of artillery, and given the task to bring cannons from Ticonderoga to Boston. During this time it was winter and the conditions were harsh. By the way of ox sleds, Knox successfully brought fifty cannons to the city of Boston.5 In March 1776, Washington seized Dorchester Heights, which was the key to Boston, and Knox placed the cannons in position there. General Howe, an English general, realizing the danger of an impending American attack, withdrew his troops from the city. On March 17, he embarked his troops for Halifax. 2005-02-20T05:29:30-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biography-of-General-Henry-Knox-26270.aspx Attila Attila King and general of the Huns; died 453. Succeeding in 433 to the kingship of Scythian hordes disorganized and enfeebled by internal discords, Attila soon made of his subjects a compact and formidable people, the terror of Europe and Asia. An unsuccessful campaign in Persia was followed in 441 by an invasion of the Eastern Roman Empire, the success of which emboldened Attila to invade the West. He passed unhindered through Austria and Germany, across the Rhine into Gaul, plundering and devastating all in his path with a ferocity unparalleled in the records of barbarian invasions and compelling those he overcame to augment his mighty army. In 451 he was met on the Plains of Chalons by the allied Romans under Actius and the Visigoths under Theodoric and Thorismond, who overcame the Huns and averted the peril that menaced Western civilization. Turning then to Italy, Attila, in the spring of 452, laid waste Aquileia and many Lombard cities, and was approaching Rome, whither Valentinian III had fled before him, when he was met near Mantua by an embassy -- the most influential member of which was Pope Leo I -- which dissuaded Attila from sacking the city. Attila died shortly after. Catholic interest in Attila centers chiefly in his relations with those bishops of France and Italy who restrained the Hunnish leader in his devastating fury. The moral power of these bishops, more particularly of the pope during the dissolution of the empire, is evidenced as well by the confidence in which the faithful looked to them for succour against the terrible invader as by the influence they sometimes exerted in staying that invader's destroying hand. St. Agnan of Orléans sustained the courage of his people and hastened the reinforcements that saved his apparently doomed city; at Troyes, St. Lupus prevailed upon Attila to spare the province of Champagne, and gave himself as a hostage while the Hunnish army remained in Gaul; when Rome seemed destined to meet the fate of the Lombard cities which Attila had pillaged, it was Pope Leo the Great who, by his eloquence and commanding personality, overawed the conqueror and saved the city. The terror which for centuries after clung to the name of Attila, "the Scourge of God", as he came to be called, and the gratitude of the people to their deliverers combined in time to encumber medieval hagiography with legends of saints 2004-07-04T01:09:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Attila--25201.aspx Attila, King of the Huns Although he reigned almost 20 years as king of the Huns, the image of Attila in history and in the popular imagination is based upon two aggressive military campaigns in the last two years of his life which threatened to dramatically redirect the development of Western Europe. Attila and his brother succeeded their uncle as leaders of the Huns in 434, with Attila in the junior role until his brother's death (perhaps at Attila's hand) 12 years later. The Hun kingdom was centered in modern-day Hungary. Attila embarked immediately upon a series of wars extending Hun rule from the Rhine across the north of the Black Sea as far as the Caspian Sea. From that base he soon began a long series of saber-rattling negotiations with the capitals of the Roman 2004-07-04T01:03:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Attila,-King-of-the-Huns-25200.aspx