My name is Chris Willenborg. I served in the United States Navy from 2003-2007. I deployed on the USS Nimitz as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. This is my story.P.S. The title is sarcastic.

This instant New York Times bestseller—“a jaw-dropping, fast-paced account” (New York Post) recounts SEAL Team Operator Robert O’Neill’s incredible four-hundred-mission career, including the attempts to rescue “Lone Survivor” Marcus Luttrell and abducted-by-Somali-pirates Captain Richard Phillips, and which culminated in the death of the world’s most wanted terrorist—Osama bin Laden. In The Operator, Robert O’Neill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALs’ most elite unit. After officially becoming a SEAL, O’Neill would spend more than a decade in the most intense counterterror effort in US history. For extended periods, not a night passed without him and his small team recording multiple enemy kills—and though he was lucky enough to survive, several of the SEALs he’d trained with and fought beside never made it home. “Impossible to put down…The Operator is unique, surprising, a kind of counternarrative, and certainly the other half of the story of one of the world’s most famous military operations…In the larger sense, this book is about…how to be human while in the very same moment dealing with death, destruction, combat” (Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author). O’Neill describes the nonstop action of his deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, evokes the black humor of years-long combat, brings to vivid life the lethal efficiency of the military’s most selective units, and reveals details of the most celebrated terrorist takedown in history. This is “a riveting, unvarnished, and wholly unforgettable portrait of America’s most storied commandos at war” (Joby Warrick).

Born to wealth, adventuresome in spirit, shrewd in business, gallant in war, and a beau ideal of his class, Tommy Hitchcock was the epitome of the American hero, a legend even in his own time. To Scott Fitzgerald, Tommy embodied the ideal of the aristocratic man of action, basing two of his characters loosely on Tommy. Tommy joined the Lafayette Escadrille during WWI at the age of 17. He was shot down, captured by the Germans, and then made a dramatic escape to Switzerland. Within a few years after the war, he had become one of the stars of the “Golden Age of Sport.” In the 20s and 30s, Tommy dominated polo more decisively than Bobby Jones did golf or Babe Ruth did baseball. Settling in New York with his growing family, he became an investment banker and threw famous parties in Great Neck, Long Island, which attracted the rich and famous as well as celebrities such as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Always impecunious, the Fitzgeralds were easy to attract to a lavish party, but not so easy to convince to leave. When America entered WWII, Tommy re-entered the service, but was told he was “too old” for combat flying. He became the biggest booster of the new P-51, then in development, becoming instrumental in convincing the Army to build it to protect Flying Fortresses on their bombing raids over Germany. We were losing hundreds of the heavy bombers to Luftwaffe Messerschmitt’s because we didn’t have a fighter that could reach Germany with the bombers. The P-51 was a game-changer. Hermann Goering, commander of the Luftwaffe, told his American interrogators after the war that when he saw P-51s flying unopposed in the skies over Berlin, he knew the gig was up and Germany would lose the war. Tragically, on April 18, 1944, Tommy died test-flying one of the new P-51s in England. He will forever be an American hero.

"John Marshall (1755-1835) was a good son, a kind older brother, a loving father and husband, and a dear friend to many. He was a soldier for the Revolutionary Army, a successful lawyer, a congressman, and Secretary of State. Most importantly, he was Chief Justice of the United States. As Chief Justice, John Marshall made the Supreme Court the strong and powerful body it is today."--Back cover.

American history is full of many great men and women who changed the course of the United States and even the world. They are rightfully considered heroes by many Americans, because of their contributions. This book is unique because it focuses on the personal struggles and triumphs that made each individual a hero to millions of Americans.In The Great Book of American Heroes, you'll learn the answers to the following questions: What were some of the barriers that nearly prevented the Wright Brothers from making their historic first flight? - How did Helen Keller beat incredible odds and learn how to speak and write?- Why was Al Capone considered a hero by so many Americans? - How was the "pen mightier than the sword" for Upton Sinclair?- Who is America's greatest hero of the silver screen and why? - Which presidents are America's greatest heroes? - How did Babe Ruth become America's first sports hero? - Who were America's greatest explorer heroes?- Why were some of these heroes reluctant to accept their status? And so much more! This book is filled with a plethora of facts about some of the most fascinating and impactful Americans in history. So much more than a boring history book, you'll be engaged throughout the book, ready to turn each page to learn more.This book also looks at the very term "hero" in a unique way by including a fair share of rebels, bad boys, and anti-heroes, who were also considered heroes by many.Whether you have a passing interest in American history, are distantly related to one of the heroes, or just want something fascinating to read, you can't go wrong with The Great Book of American Heroes.

Soon to be a show on Hulu! Rights to develop Wild Cards have been acquired by Universal Cable Productions, the team behind The Magicians and Mr. Robot, with the co-editor of Wild Cards, Melinda Snodgrass, as executive producer. In this bitingly satirical companion novel to the Wild Cards title Inside Straight, American Hero combines two quintessentially pop culture phenomena: superheroes and reality TV. American Hero, the nation’s most highly anticipated competition show, kicks off its first season! People with incredible powers – from possessing death-defying healing to transforming into an insect swarm to shifting the earth itself – have been selected from all walks of life. Their goal: to win one million dollars and the admiration of millions more viewers by answering one question, “Do you have what it takes to be the next American Hero?” Contains week-by-week action-packed recaps and no-holds-bars contestant confessionals, all edited by New York Times #1 bestselling author George R. R. Martin. Features writing by Martin as well as Carrie Vaughn, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Walter Jon Williams, Victor Milan, Daniel Abraham, Stephen Leigh, and many more of the genre’s most innovative writers. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.