Pacifica, CA: Pacifica Military History, (2001, c 1992) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - An account of the life of Marine ace and Medal of Honor winner Joe Foss. When the US became involved in World War II, Foss was considered too old to be a fighter pilot, and he was assigned to photographic reconnaissance. He persisted in trying to become a fighter pilot and eventually was transferred to the Marine Fighting Squadron. He shot down a Japanese Zero on his first combat flight, and 26 Japanese aircraft in the Battle of Guadalcanal. After the war he was elected as the youngest governor of South Dakota, and he was the first commissioner of the American Football League. SIGNED on the front endpaper by his wife and the primary author, Donna Wild Foss. Illustrated with photographs. Originally published in 1992, this includes an 8 pp epilogue which recounts selected events in his life up to 2001. Chronology, selected bibliography. xviii, 347 pp plus the epilogue and index. ISBN: 0-93555355x.

New York: Simon & Schuster, (2001) dj. Hardcover first edition - The author's first novel, set in Somalia - "When Lieutenant Gavin Kelly's recon platoon swims ashore a Mogadishu beach under the glare of news camera lights, it is an appropriately surreal beginning to Operation Restore hope. . . Minutes after the Marines' celebrated landing, one of Kelly's men kills an armed Somali bodyguard. The circumstances of the killing are unclear and Kelly finds himself in the center of a malestrom. he must act quickly to deflect a vociferous outcry from members of the international press corps, censure by his Marine superiors, and the possibility of losing the loyalty of his men--particularly two enlisted leaders in the platoon who have vouched for the necessity of the kill." West was a lieutenant in the Marines and commanded a special ops unit, so he can write with accuracy and knowledge of the challenges imposed by modern warfare.Winner of the Boyd literary award for best military novel). 316 pp. ISBN: 0-743205421.

New York: Simon & Schuster, (2001). First edition - The author's first novel, set in Somalia - "When Lieutenant Gavin Kelly's recon platoon swims ashore a Mogadishu beach under the glare of news camera lights, it is an appropriately surreal beginning to Operation Restore hope. . . Minutes after the Marines' celebrated landing, one of Kelly's men kills an armed Somali bodyguard. The circumstances of the killing are unclear and Kelly finds himself in the center of a malestrom. he must act quickly to deflect a vociferous outcry from members of the international press corps, censure by his Marine superiors, and the possibility of losing the loyalty of his men--particularly two enlisted leaders in the platoon who have vouched for the necessity of the kill." West was a lieutenant in the Marines and commanded a special ops unit, so he can write with accuracy and knowledge of the challenges imposed by modern warfare. Winner of the Boyd literary award for best military novel. 312 pp.