What Makes a Hero?
The first thing that comes to mind is a person of extraordinary abilities and larger-than-life personality. But in reality, most heroes are ordinary people acting in the best interest of others, usually in disregard for their own safety. And most of them don’t even consider themselves heroes. They usually say that they are just doing what needed to be done.
This page is devoted to telling the stories of heroism, and to keeping alive the memory of those who have sacrificed to help others.
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Juan Pujol
The nazis considered him their most valuable spy in England, and awarded him the Iron Cross in 1944; the British awarded him the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire later that same year. How did an ex-chicken farmer and part-time hotel manager living in Madrid...
Ira Hayes
One of the six Marines shown in the famous photo of raising the flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima was PFC Ira Hayes. 19 years old at the time, Hayes, a member of the Gila River Indian community, enlisted in the Marines 8 months after Pearl Harbor and volunteered...
The Secret Dogfight
Navy Lieutenant Royce Williams' actions on November 18, 1952 are considered "one of the greatest feats in aviation history" by military experts, yet for over 50 years they were kept secret. Williams' actions were removed from U.S. Navy and National Security Agency...
Thomas Gunning Kelley
On January 11, 2023, the Department of the Navy announced that a new destroyer will be named after Medal of Honor recipient Thomas Gunning Kelley. I wanted to learn more about Lieutenant Kelley, and found this excellent article in medalofhonorspeakout (1): "Thomas...
One Brave Kid
11-year-old Braydon Smith was home alone in his room when a burglar forced his way through the front door. The burglar told Braydon to get into a closet, then began grabbing various items in the home. Remembering his dad's advice to "let 'em have it" if anyone tried...
Peter Vaughan-Fowler
When his father, a World War I flying ace, took him for a flight in an Avro 504 biplane, young Peter Vaughn-Fowler was hooked on flying. Years later he would become the youngest pilot to fly secret missions for the RAF. At age 19, Vaughn-Fowler was assigned to the...