From the men and women associated with the American Revolution and Civil War to the seminal figures in the struggles for civil and women's rights, Americans have been fascinated with icons of great achievement, or at least reputation. But who spins today's narratives about American heroism, and to what end? In Where Have All the Heroes Gone?, Bruce Peabody and Krista Jenkins draw on the concept of the American hero to show an important gap between the views of political and media elites and the attitudes of the mass public. The authors contend that important changes over the past half century, including the increasing scope of new media and people's deepening political distrust, have drawn both politicians and producers of media content to the hero meme. However, popular reaction to this turn to heroism has been largely skeptical. As a result, the conversations and judgments of ordinary Americans, government officials, and media elites are often deeply divergent. Investigating the story of American heroes over the past five decades provides a narrative that can teach us about such issues as political socialization, institutional trust, and political communication.

Heroes get a new meaning when you see inside their lives. Gracie is a Navy Pilot; Bruce works Air Force Pararescue. With dangerous jobs—often away from home—they write love letters. When Gracie is shot down behind enemy lines, Bruce has one mission: get her out alive. Uncommon Heroes: Welcome to a world where friendships go deep, loyalties stand strong, and uncommon heroes perform the toughest jobs in the world. Dee Henderson's military romance series provides a detailed passage into the world of the military and homeland heroes, and those they love.

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.

A stoic man haunted by his legend and the secrets of his past. An aging storyteller wanting little more than to live out one more adventure. A dwarf shunned by his own kind, looking for a place to belong. A gifted boy shackled by a dark gamble. An elven champion struggling to bring his nation back from the brink of war. An outlaw leader, unable to escape the enmities of his former life. A woman needing to find deliverance for a growing shadow inside of her. Together, in a world torn apart by a civil war, and the rising power of a despot with his unstoppable armies, they must all unite together; to save themselves, to save their nations, and to save a dying world from an eldritch power far more virulent still... To do this they must forsake ageless oaths and bonds of friendship. They must find and fight the darkness of their own pasts. They must confront the reasons why their world is coming to rot and ruin. But, more importantly still, they must all become heroes.

Personal reminiscences & records of Civil War soldiers who were awarded the CMH. First published in 1901, this exciting & well-illustrated historical work is filled with 293 action-packed accounts & vivid, first-hand descriptions of the harrowing exploits of men & women under almost unimaginable wartime stress. The events occurred during the course of 185 different battles & engagements. The CMH is awarded based on -- service performed in action of such a conspicuous character as to clearly distinguish the man for gallantry above his comrades, involving extreme jeopardy of life or the performance of extraordinarily hazardous duty. Illus.

Military documents reveal decades of deceit about the Vietnam War and myths perpetuated by the mainstream media.

The little known story of the largest rescue mission of World War II…Based on the testimony of hundreds of American Airmen comes a story of bravery, betrayal, and hope… By the summer of 1943, Hitler had ruthlessly occupied most of Europe. Determined to stop him, the Allies are stepping up their attacks on the Romanian Ploesti Oil Fields. For Lieutenant’s O’Donnell and Petrovich of the 15th Air Force, this flight was just one mission closer to ending this God forsaken war. However, when the Nazis attack, tragedy strikes and nothing is ever the same again. Back at the Allied base in Italy, Lieutenant Petrovich refuses to believe that O’Donnell is dead. Fighting his way through a merciless web of deception and governmental red tape, he is desperate to convince the Royal Air Force to approve a seek and find mission. Convinced that a mission would be suicide, they refuse. Stranded in Yugoslavia and unsure of what awaits him, O’Donnell is taken on a journey for miles through the mountains, hills and forests of Serbia. When he arrives, he is shocked at what he finds. Unsure of anything anymore, O’Donnell tries to survive behind enemy lines and finds himself fighting for a cause that he never thought would be his. Surrounded by tens of thousands of Nazis, an evacuation seems impossible and O’Donnell’s time is quickly running out. Based on actual events and one of the best kept secrets of US history, Betrayed Valor tells the story of one of the largest and most daring rescue missions of World War II-Operation Halyard.