Grit, Grief and Gold is an eyewitness account of pioneering railroad building in Alaska. Dr. Fenton B. Whiting was chief surgeon during the construction of the White Pass & Yukon Route, built during the Yukon Gold Rush by his friend M.J. Heney. He later served in the same capacity during Heney's construction of the Copper River & Northwestern Railway. The story includes construction through some of the most impassable terrain imaginable, encounters with outlaw Soapy Smith and prospector George Carmack, the successful completion of both lines and Heney's tragic death after a shipwreck in...

George Barnett was the man behind the United States Marine Corps' transformation from an antiquated afterthought to a modern force with an international reputation. After a long apprenticeship as a junior officer, Barnett emerged as a pioneer of amphibious warfare. Leading the experimental Advanced Base Force Brigade at Culebra in 1914, he secured the Corps' survival by establishing its new, amphibious mission. Appointed Commandant the same year, Barnett organized the Corps for service in Europe, agitated for its expansion and overcame opposition from the Army and Navy. Without him, the...