In many ways, American soldiers fought World War II from within their nation against segregation and from without against foes as Germany, Italy, and Japan. On both fronts, the American soldier of Japanese descent and the soldier of African descent fought their way up, internally and externally, in segregated units, seeing bloody action in the Pacific Theatre on one hand, and close combat on Montecassino and the Battle of the Bulge on the other. In the air, the Tuskegee Airmen proved once and for all that the American soldiers of African blood were no less heroic off and on the battlefield as were their fellow soldiers. In the volume, Eric Rick Lee has brought together the stories of twenty six American soldiers, men and women who earned recognition for their military accomplishments. On reading about their exploits, one can easily agree with the author?s assumption in the title of his book that we can all share in paying tribute to their honor and to their courage.

Men of Iron weaves together a combat medics recollections of duty, survival, sacrifi ce and the unique camaraderie forged at frontlines of World War II. The narration encapsulates poignant vignettes from men who served with the highly-decorated 26th Infantry Regiment or the Blue Spaders, illustrating their enduring creed and legacy - No Mission Too Diffi cult, No Sacrifi ce Too Great- Duty First!

Uncommon Valor from Dwight Jon Zimmerman and John D. Gresham presents a fascinating look at six of our bravest soldiers and the highest military decoration awarded in this country. Since the Vietnam War ended in 1973, the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award for valor, has been presented to only eight men for their actions "above and beyond the call of duty." Six of the eight were young men who had fought in the current war in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. All of these medals were awarded posthumously, as all had made the choice to give their lives so that their comrades might live. Uncommon Valor answers the searing question of who these six young soldiers were, and dramatically details how they found themselves in life-or-death situations, and why they responded as they did. For the first time, this book also provides a comprehensive history of the Medal of Honor itself—one marred by controversies, scandals, and theft. Using an extraordinary range of sources, including interviews with family members and friends, teammates and superiors in the military, personal letters, blogs posted within hours of events, personal and official videos and newly declassified documents, Uncommon Valor is a compelling and important work that recounts incredible acts of heroism and lays bare the ultimate sacrifice of our bravest soldiers.

Riveting real-life accounts of heroism from Medal of Honor recipients, including Clinton Romesha (author of Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor) and exceptional civilians like schoolteacher Jencie Fagan How does an ordinary person become a hero? It happens in a split second, a moment of focus and clarity, when a choice is made. Here are the gripping accounts of Medal of Honor recipients who demonstrated guts and selflessness on the battlefield and confronted life-threatening danger to make a difference. There are the stories of George Sakato and Vernon Baker—both of whom overcame racial discrimination to enlist in the army during World War II (Sakato was a second-generation Japanese American, Baker an African American) and went on to prove that heroes come in all colors—and Clint Romesha, who led his outnumbered fellow soldiers against a determined enemy to prevent the Taliban from taking over a remote U.S. Army outpost in Afghanistan. Also included are civilians who have been honored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation for outstanding acts of bravery in crisis situations, from a school shooting to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Adding depth and context are illuminating essays on the combat experience and its aftermath, covering topics such as overcoming fear; a mother mourning the loss of her son; and “surviving hell” as a prisoner of war.

Valor features the thrilling stories that are the fruit of Mark Lee Greenblatt’s interviews with brave American servicemen from twenty-first-century wars. These soldiers, sailors, and Marines have risked their lives several times over for their country as well as for their fellow troops and civilians. Still, until now, their stories have largely gone unnoticed by the public, perhaps lost in the frenzied and often nasty debate surrounding those conflicts. As the author writes, “This generation does not have an Audie Murphy. I set out to change that with this book.” Detailing incredible and evocative feats—including an Army pilot who rescued two fellow pilots from a deadly crash in hostile territory and strapped himself to the helicopter’s exterior for the flight to the hospital—Greenblatt provides glimpses into the minds of these men as they face gut-wrenching decisions and overcome enormous odds. However, this book is much more than tales of riveting action. Each chapter goes beyond linear combat stories to explore each hero’s motivations, dreams, and the genuine emotions that were evoked in the face of extreme danger. Readers will be transported to a variety of settings—from close-quarters urban fighting in Iraq to mountainside ambushes in rural Afghanistan to a midnight rescue in the middle of the Atlantic—as they accompany the men who do not see themselves as heroes but as patriots in the line of duty.

Ed Tingstrom is passionate for history which has led to considerable study of U.S. history with emphases on military history. However he has detected inconsistencies in the recording of historical events which led mim to ask questions. He would research and ferret out the answers by utilizing the National Archives, Library of Congress and other institutions to provide the answers he sought. History has always been and will always be my passion. My quest is to share this passion with the younger generations in hopes of igniting a similar spark in them. History lives in all of us; all we have to do is seek the truth and remember. Mr. Tingstrom is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). He enjoys giving lectures in history and military service at local high schools and colleges, as well as serving as a docent at the VFW museum, which houses a collection of vintage poster art and war memorabilia dating back to the turn of the twenth century. This is his first book This book is dedicated to my wife Deirdre Whose constant encouragement and love provided me with the strength and conviction to continue. To Professor Ransford Hopkins, Professor of History, Moorpark College, California, who lit the spark, which turned into a roaring fire to write this book, and to seek out history were ever it is found and share it with others.

Why do men and women sometimes risk everything to defend their liberties? What motivates principled opposition to the abuse of power? In Liberalism with Honor, Sharon Krause explores honor as a motive for risky and difficult forms of political action. She shows the sense of honor to be an important source of such action and a spring of individual agency more generally. Krause traces the genealogy of honor, including its ties to conscientious objection and civil disobedience, beginning in old-regime France and culminating in the American civil rights movement. She examines the dangers intrinsic to honor and the tensions between honor and modern democracy, but demonstrates that the sense of honor has supported political agency in the United States from the founders to democratic reformers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Martin Luther King, Jr. Honor continues to hold interest and importance today because it combines self-concern and personal ambition with principled higher purposes, and so challenges the disabling dichotomy between self-interest and self-sacrifice that currently pervades both political theory and American public life.