Some people float through life with never a care, a worry, or a problem, and others break their back to get through it. Author William L. Otto was one of those men. In The Last of the Dinosaurs, he shares his story as well of the story of a family, an age, and a city. A businessman, veteran, father, son, player, operator, and friend, Otto grew up on the depression-era streets of the Bronx. His story begins with the hard scrabble life of a poor family doing what was necessary to survive, even as Otto's father took the meager amount they made to spend on drinking and gambling. Like many boys of that time, Otto did what he could to earn money for his family, regardless of the risks. Through hard work and hustle, Otto found himself in the office cleaning business, an industry populated with union bosses, power brokers, and the kind of mob-connected characters infamous around New York City. The Last of the Dinosaurs chronicles Otto's dealings with these colorful, but very real, figures in business and social circles His tales include friendships with Olympic champions, office brawls with union leaders, life-saving interventions from mob bosses, and showdowns with the city's most powerful figures. Despite Otto's resilience and hard work, he was eventually confronted with financial ruin, betrayal, and heartbreak from those he loved and trusted the most. He persevered and found happiness and peace with what remained, and to this day he remains indefatigable.
Conquer: The Story of Ninth Army recounts in great and glorious detail the U.S. Ninth army as it campaigned against Nazi Germany in Europe during World War II. The Ninth Army reached France in September 1944 in time to play a leading role in the reduction of Brest and Brittany; further battles awaited them during the November Offensive and the counterattack against the Ardennes offensive. Their march into Germany saw further bitter conflicts and actions along the Roer, the Rhine, the Ruhr and the Elbe, before the Ninth Army was finally able to rest as part of the occupation forces in defeated of Germany. Richly illustrated with photos and maps of the actions of the Ninth Army in the ETO. “Conquer: The Story of Ninth Army is intended to present in broad form a brief account of that Army’s activities— tactical, administrative, and logistical. Considerations of space, time, and proportion have generally limited the mention of individual units to divisions and larger. In Ninth Army, however, as in any modern American army, these were only one-half of the troop strength. The other half comprised the large number of corps and army troops— cavalry, antiaircraft, engineer, chemical, field artillery, medical, military police, ordnance, quartermaster, signal, tank, and tank destroyer—the “supporting” troops, without whom the job could not have been done. And it is to these, most of whom wore the Ninth Army shoulder patch, that I wish to pay particular tribute here, without detracting in any way from the fine performance of the larger units.”—Lt.-Gen. W. H. Simpson commander of the 9th Army.
Some people float through life with never a care, a worry, or a problem, and others break their back to get through it. Author William L. Otto was one of those men. In The Last of the Dinosaurs, he shares his story as well of the story of a family, an age, and a city. A businessman, veteran, father, son, player, operator, and friend, Otto grew up on the depression-era streets of the Bronx. His story begins with the hard scrabble life of a poor family doing what was necessary to survive, even as Ottos father took the meager amount they made to spend on drinking and gambling. Like many boys of that time, Otto did what he could to earn money for his family, regardless of the risks. Through hard work and hustle, Otto found himself in the office cleaning business, an industry populated with union bosses, power brokers, and the kind of mob-connected characters infamous around New York City. The Last of the Dinosaurs chronicles Ottos dealings with these colorful, but very real, figures in business and social circles His tales include friendships with Olympic champions, office brawls with union leaders, life-saving interventions from mob bosses, and showdowns with the citys most powerful figures. Despite Ottos resilience and hard work, he was eventually confronted with financial ruin, betrayal, and heartbreak from those he loved and trusted the most. He persevered and found happiness and peace with what remained, and to this day he remains indefatigable.
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