Synopses & Reviews
Winner of the Military Writers Society of Americas Highest Honor: The 2010 Founders Award
Since the Vietnam War ended in 1973, the Medal of Honor, our nations highest award for valor, has been presented to only ten men for their actions “above and beyond the call of duty.” Eight of the ten were young men who fought in the current war in Iraq, in Afghanistan, or both.
Uncommon Valor answers the searing question of who these young soldiers were, and dramatically details why they found themselves in life-or-death situations, and how they responded. This book also provides a comprehensive history of the Medal of Honor—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.
Review
“Uncommon Valor is truly the best book on military matters that I have read this year. . . . Of all the books that we have honored over the years with our Founders Award (this one had no competition) this was and is the best of the best!”---Bill McDonald, Military Writers Society of America founder
Synopsis
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 ten men for their actions above and beyond the call of duty. Eight of the ten were young men who fought in the current war in Iraq, in Afghanistan, or both.
Uncommon Valor answers the searing question of who these young soldiers were, and dramatically details why they found themselves in life-or-death situations, and how they responded. This book also provides a comprehensive history of the Medal of Honor--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.
About the Author
Dwight Jon Zimmerman is an award-winning author of books and articles on military history and a member of the Military Writers Society of America. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
John D. Gresham is a veteran military analyst and the coauthor, with Tom Clancy, of Clancys bestselling nonfiction series. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.