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(More customer reviews)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 veterans and realize all that was given in service on our behalf. We owe then a debt and we need to pay it. A first step is to get to know what was done for us and learn the truth instead of simplistic anti-war propaganda.
You owe it to yourself to take a tour through this book and think about what these men, and so many like them, were asked to do and what they did to answer that call.
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