Choosing Courage

What turns an ordinary person into a hero? What happens in the blink of an eye on a battlefield (or in any dangerous situation) to bring out true courage? The men and women who have been recognized by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation know the answers to these questions deep in their hearts. We learn of Jack Lucas, a thirteen-year-old who kept his real age a secret so he could fight in World War II—where he deliberately fell on a grenade to save his buddies during the Iwo Jima invasion—and Clint Romesha, who almost single-handedly prevented a remote U.S. Army outpost in Afghanistan from being taken over by the Taliban. Also included are civilians who have been honored by the Foundation for outstanding acts of bravery in crisis situations: for example, Jencie Fagan, a gym teacher who put herself in danger to disarm a troubled eighth grader before he could turn a gun on his classmates. Adding depth and context are illuminating sidebars throughout and essays on the combat experience and its aftermath: topics such as overcoming fear; a mother mourning her son; and “surviving hell” as a prisoner of war. Back matter includes a glossary and an index.

This is a middle-grade book, for readers age 10 and up.

*Please note that the following factual errors in the galley will be corrected in the finished book:

Page 25: 3rd full paragraph, first sentence: should say “More than 125,000 African Americans served overseas (not one million)

Page 30: 2nd-to-last paragraph: Allied troops moved east from the Normandy Beaches (not west)

Page 109: 2nd-to-last paragraph: Tommy Norris wasn’t necessarily one of the “first” trainees to go to a SEAL team; instead he was “immediately assigned” to a SEAL team.

Page 120: 1st paragraph: only about 25 (not 20) percent of trainees making it through the program and become SEALs.

Page 119: first full paragraph should be 1976, not 1975.

Page 138: 2nd full paragraph: 9/11 sequence of events is incorrect. The first plane struck the North Tower, and the second plane struck the South Tower (not vice versa).

Page 149: 2nd paragraph: US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, not 2011.