THE WAR OF 1812:
“his thumpingly entertaining and case setting book"
"A feisty, first-rate history of the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans.
"Ron Drez has chronicled over 160 years of great victories and great challenges that shaped a community of young men, their families, and their teachers that began in New Orleans in 1847."
President Emeritus, Father Anthony McGinn, S.J.
VOICES OF COURAGE:
"As no other book has ever done before,
Voices of Courage takes you through one of the most grueling and
terrifying battles in American History."
The Military Book Club
VOICES OF VALOR:
Voices of Valor is an irresistable chorus
of personal memories about every aspect of D-Day. Just when you
think you've heard it all, a new story of courage, fear, brotherly
love or combat humor takes you back to that fateful day in June
1944, and the invasion that remains a military wonder.
TWENTY-FIVE YARDS OF WAR:
"Drez is in sync with his interviewees,
and his facile pen brings their stories to life."
- Publishers Weekly
"This book is an easy read, filled with many
many facts previously not read, and the short stories of various
battles, with specific people was EXCELLENT. Best author since Ambrose
I've read in years."
"This introductory book for young people
skillfully intertwines these soldiers' voices with dramatic events
in a compelling historical narrative of the Allied D-Day invasion
of France on June 6, 1944."
- Peg Kohlepp, Times Picayune
VOICES OF D-DAY:
"I thoroughly enjoyed this book and
must say Drez did an outstanding job of putting it together. I was
mesmerized by each man's story, and while I like reading about Bradly
and Patton and Eisenhower; these are the stories that really stand
out to me. I am thankful that there are people like Drez who want
to preserve these priceless stories for future generations. Read
this book - you will love it!"
"Voices of D-Day is history at its best!"
- Association of Graduates United States Military Academy
THE D-DAY COMPANION:
This book has been composed by an elite
group of historians who have worked
to become a literary band of brothers
- Major Richard Winters, Easy Co.
|THE WAR OF 1812, CONFLICT AND DECEPTION
The British Attempt to Seize New Orleans and Nullify the Louisiana Purchase
tate University Press, 2014
From Kenneth Atchity, forrmer Fulbright Professor of American Studies at the University of Bologna -
"With the riveting skill and psychological insight of the most passionate thriller writer, Ronald J. Drez takes us on an unforgettable excursion into the American past that shines the light of his prodigious research onto the intricately entangled political and military issues behind one of the most pivotal--and least understood--wars in American history."
The Jesuits, Louisiana, and Their School in New Orleans
Tracing the Jesuit presence in the New World and in the vast, untamed territory of Louisiana beginning with the Mississippi journey of Father James Marquette and Louis Joliet, Ronald Drez presents the Jesuit history of dedication, defeat, disease, Papal suppression and restoration of the order to the eventual founding of a remarkable school for young men in New Orleans. In the words of President Emeritus, Father Anthony McGinn, S.J. concerning the school, "Ron Drez has chronicled over 160 years of great victories and great challenges that shaped a community of young men, their families, and their teachers that began in New Orleans in 1847.
The Greek Resistance Against the Axis Powers in WWII
From the Publisher
In this powerful and engaging historical narrative, decorated combat veteran and critically acclaimed author Ronald J. Drez unfolds the astounding tale of the arduous Greek Resistance against the Axis Powers in World War II. Along with Great Britain, Greece was the only country to stand against the Pact of Steel and the dreaded Nazi and Fascist regimes of Hitler and Mussolini. Although Greece technically fell to Germany in 1941, the indomitable spirit and courage of the Greek people never did. Indeed, the Nazis feared the fierce Greek Resistance fighters so much that Hitler was never able to seize control of any Greek land. Weaving through political intrigue at the highest levels, this compelling narrative tells the stories that made up this oft-forgotten part of World War II history: Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini’s obsession for military dominance and desire to be Adolf Hitler’s equal; Greek leader Ioannis Metaxas’s indefatigable leadership and cry of “OXI!” (NO!) when presented with the Italian ultimatum to surrender Greece or be invaded; the tale of one the great sabotage events of World War II, Operation Harling, the demolition of the Gorgopotamos viaduct, which was the main German supply route for their forces in Egypt; and the extraordinary story of Dennis Georges, just nineteen on the day of the German invasion, Georges left Athens, setting out for the family farm in Arfara where he became part of the Greek Resistance.
In this meticulously researched volume, Drez has succeeded in shining a light into one of the most overlooked aspects in the great annals of World War II history. Packed with personal testimony and many rare photographs and illustrations, Heroes Fight Like Greeks is an indisputably important report on one of the most harrowing stories of World War II.
Foreword by Douglas Brinkley.
The Battle for Khe Sanh, Vietnam
From the Publisher
Voices of Courage: The Battle for Khe Sanh,
Vietnam tells the story of one of the most heroic efforts
in American mililtary history–a seventy-seven day struggle
in early 1968 for the remote Khe Sanh Combat Base–during
which six thousand perilously isolated Marines withstood
the onslaught of a superior enemy force.
Drawing on a vast archive of recorded interviews
and written material collected over the past twenty years
by Ronald J. Drez and the Eisenhower Center for American
Studies at the University of New Orleans, authors Drez and
Douglas Brinkley provide a gripping narrative addressing
every aspect of the battle, interwoven with testimonials
from soldiers who fought at Khe Sanh.
Featuring two audio CDs that provide a unique
opportunity for these valorous voices to be hear, Voices
of Courage urges a long overdue recognition of the stunning
fortitude displayed by Marines and other members of the U.S.
Armed Forces at Khe Sanh, and promises to reshape the way
we remember the Americans who fought for their nation in
|VOICES OF VALOR - #20 on New
York Times Best Seller List
D-Day, June 6, 1944
From the Publisher
Published for the 60th anniversary of D-Day,
Voices Of Valor, a lushly illustrated book with audio CDs,
presents gripping, firsthand accounts of the Normandy invasion
with a central narrative by one of America's preeminent historians.
Voices Of Valor is an intimate and lasting
tribute to the soldiers who fought in Normandy featuring
40 interviews drawn from the archival holdings at the Eisenhower
Center Oral History Project, the largest collection of oral
histories of D-Day. Within the book are two hour-long audio
CDs containing the oral testimonies of veterans who were
The Extraordinary Courage of Ordinary Men
in World War II
From the sinking decks of a navy cruiser to
the cockpit of a doomed B-25 bomber, Ronald J. Drez takes
us to the front lines of World War II. Through Drez's gripping
narrative style, we are introduced to twelve men, all ordinary
soldiers, and learn what the war was like through their eyes,
experiencing their own "twenty-five yards of war."
These tales of survival against incredible
odds speak to the extraordinary combination of bravery and
miracle that served to bring the men back alive, and are
a result of ten years of research and over 1,400 interviews.
|REMEMBER D-DAY -
International Reading Association’s Young Adults’ Choices
Association's Notable Children's Book
of 2004: The School Library Journal
The Plan, the Invasion,
Ronald J. Drez
Foreward by David Eisenhower
National Geographic honors the 60th anniversary of D-Day with a significant
new volume. Remember D-Day combines compelling narrative, dramatic archival
photographs and memorabilia, detailed maps, and a time line to bring readers
the exciting story of one of the world's most daring invasions. Ronald Drez
reveals the story of D-Day from January 1944 - five months before the invasion
at Normandy - through the attack itself. Readers learn of the careful planning,
daring missions, and elaborate schemes that helped launch the raid that was
the key to the Allied victory against Nazi Germany in World War II. They'll
go behind the scenes and witness Operation Doublecross in which captured German
soldiers were forced to become double agents and deliver false information
to their commanders; and Operation Mulberry, in which Allied forces created
their own ports to tow across the English Channel. First-person accounts from
survivors on both sides help paint a vivid portrait of what it was like to
plan, participate in, and live through D-Day on June 6, 1944. This landmark
book will provide children with valuable insight into the significance of the
invasion and help them understand D-Day in the overall context of the war.
The Story of the Allied Invasion Told by
Those Who Were There
From Publishers Weekly
A project conducted by the Eisenhower Center
at the University of New Orleans, this selection of oral
histories (augmented with excerpts from published memoirs)
comprises the recollections of the Normandy beachhead on
June 6, 1944, by Americans, British, Canadian and German
soldiers plus a handful of French civilians. Pathfinders,
commandoes, airborne troops, glider pilots, landing-craft
coxswains, infantrymen, combat engineers, men of all ranks,
recall the confusion and disorientation of that dreadful
24-hour period with its shocking tactical confrontations,
unexpected terrors and impersonal slaughter. Through these
vivid, succinctly spoken accounts, readers experience vicariously
one of history's great military moments. Drez is assistant
director of the Eisenhower Center.
Leading Historians Explore History's Greatest
With a foreword by Major Richard Winters, Easy
Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne, and published to commemorate
the 60th anniversary of the Normandy landings, this book
brings together the perspectives and opinions of some of
the most respected military historians working today. More
than a dozen leading historians from either side of the Atlantic
have collaborated to produce a unique and incisive examination
of the momentous events that surrounded June 6, 1944. Operation
Overlord saw some of the Allies' greatest military strategists,
Eisenhower and Montgomery, pit their wits against Hitler
in a bold bid to liberate continental Europe. Each chapter
of this new book focuses on a different aspect of the D-Day
landings, from the build-up to the attack to the experiences
of the troops on the ground.