adventure allied-forces arctic autobiography beaches biography bravery collegesuccess contemplation courage customs dachau darkness descriptions english europeanhistory exploration explorers extreme-conditions gates general heroic historicalbiography history ice indigenous-culture introspection isolation liberation memoir military militaryhistory miscellaneous nativearcticpeoples nativenorthamericanpeoples nature perseverance polarregions resilience self-discovery sicily sociallife socialsciences soldier spiritual survival transformation travel travelessays triumph war western wildlife world-war-ii worldwarii