Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty

I always feel reverence for the service given by the veterans of our armed forces. For me, it matters little what they did because they spent a portion of their life supporting the defense of our freedom. Everyone in the military matters. Even so, those who have faced the rigor of combat have earned an even deeper gratitude. What they face in battle changes their life forever. It can never be the same. An evidence of this is how difficult it is for combat veterans to describe their experience of the war to those of us who have never shared in that experience. The closest most of us get is watching documentaries on The History Channel or reading serious books on the history of the various conflicts that have required so much of our soldiers. This is a wonderful and serious book. Our country has awarded the Medal of Honor, our highest military award, to only about 3,400 recipients since the award was created. Of that number, fewer than 140 are alive today. This book provides portraits of those still living. One page provides a current photograph of each man and another page briefly tells about what was done to merit the award. Each story causes me to shake my head in disbelief. These stories describe acts of selflessness, of duty, of courage that inspire a deep gratitude and admiration for these men and the thousands like them who have passed on. As I turned the pages of this book, I felt I was in a sacred place. I looked at the picture of the young man who became a hero, read the words of his heroism, and then look in the face and eyes of the older man who has lived so long after those acts, and yet I suppose that day is ever with them. I do not know, but from my own life I know that there are certain pivotal events that are never far from the surface. Millions of soldiers have faced combat and each has my gratitude. In know that there are countless acts of service and heroism that are never recognized. Those included in this book are only representative of the heroism so many have shown in combat. To all of them, I say thank you. To each of the men included in this book I also offer my deepest gratitude. Your stories inspire us and provide examples of the highest qualities for future generations. We can all aspire to such selflessness, duty, and courage if and when we are called to face an extreme challenge. It is good to document and remember these acts of heroism even if they are only representative of the truly large number heroes who have served our nation. Those honored here are indeed special men with special stories. As we hold these to our hearts with thanks we also need to think about the millions of stories we do not know and remember them as well. It was wonderful to read about the heroes from World War II and Korea that are still with us. However, I was especially gratified to read about those whose heroic acts were given in Vietnam. It is past time for us to take seriously our neglect of these vete

A dear friend highly recommended Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty so recently I was standing in the bookstore waiting for the clerk to find it on the computer. After the third try she told me it was not showing up on her screens when another shopper walked up to me and placed it in my hands. He said " I overheard you asking for this and I had just looked it over"With this auspicious beginning, my journey into the world of Medal of Honor winners began. As I looked through this beautiful book, I found myself taken by the photography and absorbed by the accompanying text which details the events of each honoree. Although I looked at each page and the photographs, I found that I had to pace myself on reading the text and short biographies. That is a lot there on many levels so I used the photos as a guide to decide which ones to read during this first encounter.This book evoked tears for me. I have served in the military although not in combat. Also I have served in the US Peace Corp so I have always been aware of the paradox of the human condition. While reading, I found discovered some very ambivalent feelings. Respect and admiration for the portraits of courage was obvious. Yet, simultaneously, a soul felt sadness when I realized that the "enemy" described on several pages, could very well have been the beloved grandfather of a dear friend I stayed with in Germany recently.I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to explore the challenges of the human spirit.DG Mogle

Portraits in valor is simply the most well done depiction of the men who have received our nation's highest award for military valor that has been compiled to date. Photographs of the living recipients (and including a few recipients who have recently departed us) depict these rare heroes in inspirational settings that highlight their individual personalities.

This elegant book highlights the remarkable lives of our living medal of honor recipients. The lead-in chapters by President George H. W. Bush, Senator John McCain and Tom Brokaw are both uplifting and moving.The individual profiles of these living recipients tell many remarkable stories. For instance, Jack Lucas, who shortly after Pearl Harbor, entered the Marine Corps at age 13 and when President Truman presented him the medal, Lucas was still too young to fight. He then returned home to reenter the 9th grade since he had promised his mother that he would complete high school when the war was over. This book, with its great stories and wonderful photography, makes a great gift for family members, friends, and, especially for young people who are looking for role models.