Heroes Among Us: Firsthand Accounts of Combat from America's Most Decorated Warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan

by Chuck Larson (Editor), John McCain (Afterword), Chuck Larson (Introduction)

Firsthand accounts from of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan from decorated soldiers of all branches of the military capture front-line stories of combat, courage under fire, and heroism on the battlefield.

Genres: Nonfiction, Military Fiction, History, Military History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent 3 Star collection of oral battle accounts by the soldiers who fought and were awarded one of the top 3 medals for bravery. Two accounts of posthumous MOH winners. All the battles were from the first couple years of the Iraq or Afghanistan campaigns. The tales of battle are straight from the participants and I was continually amazed at these guys. It was all "Aw shucks. I was shot in the left leg by an AK-47 and I had a piece of shrapnel in my right leg, but then I saw some of my guys down and I ran over to them and picked up a guy and carried him back to safety..." And "I don't know why I got a medal and this other person didn't, I was just doing my job, what anyone else would do..."
Many of the battles will be familiar to you, "Thunder Run", "Robert's Ridge", An Nasiriyah, etc. Inspiring stories of courage under fire and often against odds.

[LB · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST read for patriotic Americans. Read this while I was deployed in the Middle East and every day it made my inconveniences seem extremely ridiculous. I am so thankful for Army and Marine soldiers. What amazing stories. Just unbelievable.

[Jaredhayes]

This is a great book when it comes down to the battles really detailed easy to get into and to me is a big deal because if i don't love the book it is really hard for me to keep reading. All the guys that do the fighting get 3 metal for being brave in the face of battle and the guys just thought they were doing their jobs but they were doing much much more, Great read for anybody.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The compilation, told from the perspective of US soldiers, provides a firsthand look at their experiences in the Middle East. The soldiers' straightforward and unemotional storytelling highlights the realness of their encounters. Despite the lack of emotional expression, their stories still pack a powerful punch, prompting readers to connect with the individuals affected by the turmoil of war. By sharing these soldiers' voices, the book not only humanizes their experiences but also helps us grasp the complexities of the Middle East and the profound impact of war on its people. Ultimately, the book serves as a moving reminder that the people in these countries want the same things as anyone else: happiness, safety, and fulfillment for themselves and their families.

[Rutger Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major Chuck Larson’s “Heroes Among Us: Firsthand Accounts of Combat from Americas Most Decorated Warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan” comes at a fair price of $11.33 which is a small price to pay for the stories you will get out of this book. Major Larson puts together these stories in a way that the average reader can understand and beautifully tells the stories of the men and women that have earned the nations highest awards fighting in the War on Terror. The author uses his own experience in the military and also interviews from the heroes themselves to get firsthand accounts showing us their point of view and giving us a more personal connection to the story and book itself. More then one million Americans have served in this war but only fewer then 500 have received the nations highest honors including the Silver Star, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, or the Medal of Honor. So for the author to put these stories in a non combat veteran’s perspective truly takes talent. Overall I believe this is a great compilation of first hand accounts of heroism and bravery that truly is inspiring to the reader. It will leave you talking about it to friends and will leave you emotional.

[Rob Tetreault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic stories about true bravery. Great read.

[Sabra Ann Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a good book! Some wonderful stories of men & women willing to sacrifice their lives for the love of others and for their fellow man.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to be in a military phase of my reading life. As a library director in a town where there are many families associated with the military either past or present I try to gather memoirs of military life for I feel that maybe this will touch a life in some way and help a cousin/sister/grandchild understand what someone else has gone through. Oftentimes I will listen and talk to my patrons and see what they suggest and make a selection that way. I do not know exactly how this one was chosen -- maybe just by the fact that it was a collection of short stories from all the branches and so many different people and sometimes that is what we need. We need glimpses of lives -- not necessarily a huge rendition of how one man made it from New York to Kabul; but the glimpse that stuck out in his life.

These men were decorated with America's highest military honors; some posthumously and some in person. Yet in almost every vignette the award was given and the speaker said, "Well specialist so and so earned it too but they didn't get it -- or specialist so and so did more than I." As a person who is not particularly military savvy, some of the acronyms and code words for military guns was a loss and since I listened to it on CD I didn't know if there was a glossary. One word that I heard frequently that I finally asked my son about was RPG -- I know that everyone else on the planet (including my son) knew it was a rocket propelled grenade ... but I just learned it the other day.

If you want a look into the lives of soldiers -- this is an excellent collection with very touching moments about what our soldiers have to go through in heat, away from families and loved ones. It truly was an eye opener for me and all I can say is "Thank You" for doing so much.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook. The stories are straight from the recipients of one of the nations top 3 military medals. Many recount their reasons for joining the military, their childhoods, their views and thoughts on life, and of course the actions that were awarded the medal for. It is intriguing to hear how they each retell what happened. I also found it hard to find consistency in the decisions to award someone a certain kind of medal. Regardless, it is a collection of stories of ordinary men and their brotherhood tested under extreme situations and how they reacted. It is a very human story.

[Lee Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish every person would read(listen to) this book or a book like this at some point in their life. Every American should know their perspective. Stars for: finishing, good characters/subjects, I learned something, a topic I enjoy reading about. I didn't think it was a very "easy" read and I thought about abandoning it because at some point it becomes tough to listen to stories about these guys getting hurt.

[Tad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oral essays from soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, this book can be gut-wrenching and hair-raising. Unfortunately, it isn't that often enough. I didn't finish it, but I would recommend it to readers who are interested in the reality of modern warfare. There are just other books that are far better at the same thing.

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book gets three stars for reasons totally unrelated to the bravery and valor of the American warriors whose acts of heroism grace these pages. We need to think on the selflessness of these brave men and women, who make me proud to be an American. Their stories deserve 5 big stars. The book is simply not "big" enough to do them proud.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

humbling

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides a realness to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first half but then it became very monotonous.

[Kody Hardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book about the lives of soldiers who were able to share there memory of being in Iraq and fighting for the people and for the U.S. It tells what they went through what they did to get either a silver star, medal of honor, Navy Cross, etc. Really means something to them and the people they fought with as their brothers. Really good book, it also tells what they do and how they got there award and what they did after there tour with pictures of them to help get a good image of them in the battles, some of the pictures of them are actually them inside or after their battle in a house or building as well.