DOD photos There is a vast difference between standing alone and standing together. In a fight, there is simply no substitute for knowing that your back is covered by someone you know, someone you trust. So it was about a year ago in Fallujah, when a squad from 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division was ambushed during a night patrol. As different members of the team were pinned down or injured, each was quickly joined by fellow squad members, covering their retreat, pulling them to safety. To do so, of course, required entering the kill zone. But undaunted,…

(Navy photo) Gidget Fuentes’ recent Navy Times story about three Sailors and a Marine (Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Recruit Matthew Coston, Aviation Structural Mechanic Airmen Jesse Tuhy and Zachary Snodgrass, and Pfc. John Wise) jumping in – while on lunch break – to save a woman from attempted rape and robbery gave me pause. As I look back, it seems to me that when you hear of someone stepping out of the crowd to thwart a criminal or save a life, they are inevitably an off-duty policeman, an off-duty fireman, or an off-duty military member. My first entry in the…

(Defend America photo) In a world where roughly half of the population measures itself in levels of testosterone, a group of military professionals rests comfortably in the top tier. They are the IED hunters. Like firefighters run toward the fire while everyone else is running away, the IED hunters seek out Improvised Explosive Devices, the very things the rest of the force is trained to avoid. What is it in a warrior’s character that allows him to enter the “death zone” willingly, relentlessly searching for devices specifically designed to kill him? What kind of ice water flows through his veins…

(Virginia Tech photo) Sometimes, heroes don’t wear uniforms. Sometimes ordinary people find themselves confronted by extraordinary situations, and bravery emerges from deep within. Sometimes that bravery emerges more than once. As a young Jewish man growing up in Romania, Liviu Librescu was confronted first with fascism in WWII, then with communism in the post-war era under Nicolae Ceaucescu. As a scientist, he gave a glimpse of his character when he, “… refused to swear allegiance to the communist government,” according to Laurie Copans of the Associated Press, essentially killing his career. Later, he was forced to resign after the government…

During the early days of OIF, I was listening to CNN describe the battle for Najaf, and literally sat up when I heard the story you’re about to read. Many months later, I found the details of the day in an excellent book, “Banking on Baghdad”, by Edwin Black. Most of what follows comes from that book. Despite what some would have you believe, the world looks to the United States as an example of what a country should be. The United States was, is, and always will be the shining beacon of human dignity that illuminates the path to…

San Antonio Military Medical Center Six of us spent a day visiting with wounded soldiers and veterans in San Antonio (Brooke Army Medical Center, Wilford Hall at Lackland AFB, and Audie Murphy VA hospital), as part of the National Cartoonists Society’s Support the Troops effort. The USO and VA insist on anonymity to protect patients’ privacy, and I’ll respect that. But I feel compelled to tell you some of their stories, because these men and women are heroes; and not just for what they did. They are heroes for what they are. Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC for short) hosts…

“It was the universal opinion of the frontline infantry that the medics were the bravest of all.” (Steven Ambrose) These men represent the best ideals of the combat medic or corpsman. Like their predecessors in previous wars, they risked their own safety to save the lives of their brothers-in-arms. These stories are by no means all-inclusive of the heroic actions by combat medical personnel, but they are great examples of what the Docs are doing out there. Army Cpl. Clinton A. Warrick (DoD) During an attack by insurgents at the Al Huria police station, Army medic Cpl. Warrick was knocked…

To many people in uniform, the ultimate act of sacrifice is giving one’s life to save the life of others. Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL, was killed late last year in Ramadi, when he threw himself onto a grenade that had been thrown into a rooftop occupied by a small team of SEALs during sniper support operations. “‘He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it,’ said a 28-year-old lieutenant who sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that day. ‘He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs’ lives, and we owe him.'” (Fox News)…

(Dept of Defense photo) Hero. The word has been overused and overhyped, misused and attached to everything from athletes to celebrities to tofu (no kidding). But what is a hero, really? Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, but they all share a singular characteristic – they have acted, in the face of potentially grave consequences, for the good of others. Heroes rarely seek the recognition that comes with their own selfless acts. They shuffle their feet, shrug their shoulders, and say, “The real heroes are still over there,” or, “I was just doing my job.” But we recognize them…