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In the Company of Heroes: The Inspiring Stories of Medal of Honor Recipients from America's Longest Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
An award-winning military journalist tells the amazing stories of twenty-five soldiers who've won the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award.
In the Company of Heroes will feature in-depth narrative profiles of the twenty-five post-9/11 Medal of Honor awardees who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. This book will focus on the stories of these extraordinary people, expressed in their own voices through one-on-one interviews, and in the case of posthumous awards, through interviews with their brothers in arms and their families. The public affairs offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the individual armed services, as well as the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, have expressed their support for this project.
Stories include Marine Corps Corporal William "Kyle" Carpenter, who purposely lunged toward a Taliban hand grenade in order to shield his buddy from the blast; Navy SEAL team leader Britt Slabinski, who, after being ambushed and retreating in the Hindu Kush, returned against monumental odds in order to try to save one of his team who was inadvertently lost in the fight; and Ranger Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry, who lunged for a live grenade, threw it back at the enemy, and saved his two Ranger brothers.
In the Company of Heroes will feature in-depth narrative profiles of the twenty-five post-9/11 Medal of Honor awardees who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. This book will focus on the stories of these extraordinary people, expressed in their own voices through one-on-one interviews, and in the case of posthumous awards, through interviews with their brothers in arms and their families. The public affairs offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the individual armed services, as well as the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, have expressed their support for this project.
Stories include Marine Corps Corporal William "Kyle" Carpenter, who purposely lunged toward a Taliban hand grenade in order to shield his buddy from the blast; Navy SEAL team leader Britt Slabinski, who, after being ambushed and retreating in the Hindu Kush, returned against monumental odds in order to try to save one of his team who was inadvertently lost in the fight; and Ranger Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry, who lunged for a live grenade, threw it back at the enemy, and saved his two Ranger brothers.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published August 31, 2021
11 people are currently reading
1209 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 5, 2021
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.
This book is a nice tribute to twenty-five men who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Some of the stories are more detailed than others.
Three aspects are missing that I think would make a better book, hence a four instead of a five star rating.
1. Pictures. I'd have appreciated pictures of the twenty-five. It would have been a nice way to honor each of them further. Instead, I kept running back and forth to my computer so I could put a face to the name. (After about the tenth entry, I opened to the index and printed out pictures of each soldier/sailor/marine/airman and inserted them into the proper place in the book.)
2. Bibliography. The author makes numerous references to other sources. It'd be nice to have an organized bibliography at the back, especially since the reader might like to check out some of the books mentioned.
3. Maps. While Kitfield did a decent job setting up certain settings, others left me confused. Maps of each mission might have helped.
This book is a nice tribute to twenty-five men who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Some of the stories are more detailed than others.
Three aspects are missing that I think would make a better book, hence a four instead of a five star rating.
1. Pictures. I'd have appreciated pictures of the twenty-five. It would have been a nice way to honor each of them further. Instead, I kept running back and forth to my computer so I could put a face to the name. (After about the tenth entry, I opened to the index and printed out pictures of each soldier/sailor/marine/airman and inserted them into the proper place in the book.)
2. Bibliography. The author makes numerous references to other sources. It'd be nice to have an organized bibliography at the back, especially since the reader might like to check out some of the books mentioned.
3. Maps. While Kitfield did a decent job setting up certain settings, others left me confused. Maps of each mission might have helped.
July 12, 2025
This book made me feel so many different things at once. Patriotic, grateful, proud, and sad were the strongest emotions that I went through as I read this book about our amazing military. God bless America.
I forgot to mention that Brad Sanders narrates the book. His voice reminds me of James Earl Jones. That's a bonus in my book. :)
I forgot to mention that Brad Sanders narrates the book. His voice reminds me of James Earl Jones. That's a bonus in my book. :)
November 15, 2021
Amazing stories of men in battle, their bravery against impossible odds. We take for granted their sacrifices and in the light of the horrible pullout in Afghanistan I'm ashamed our government did not make this a priority.
February 9, 2022
A quick but very engrossing read/listen.
March 7, 2022
I listened to this one. 25 stories of soldiers who received the Medal of Honor. These individuals acts of heroism were commendable. Way too much swearing.
August 16, 2022
What soldiers, Marines , sailors and airmen do to be worthy of receiving the Medal of Honor is just extraordinary
June 12, 2025
Where do we find men such as these?
A collection of accounts of those who risked their own lives in protection of others. Cried no less than 10 times.
A collection of accounts of those who risked their own lives in protection of others. Cried no less than 10 times.
August 25, 2023
This book is a collection of brief stories about the 25 men who have been awarded the highest military honor available in the United States, the Congressional Medal of Honor (MoH), during the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. [Note: These individual are properly called "Medal of Honor Recipients," as one does not "win" the MoH, one *earns* it.]
While this reviewer found the stories to be briefer than desired, they did contain enough information to convey a sense of the background of and the actions taken by each MoH Recipient. As a reader might suspect, one can readily identify commonalities in character between the respective servicemen, both in their actions in combat and, in the case of the living recipients, their views of the award.
Though each of the short stories left this particular reviewer wanting more information, this collection is absolutely a "must read!" Highly recommended!
While this reviewer found the stories to be briefer than desired, they did contain enough information to convey a sense of the background of and the actions taken by each MoH Recipient. As a reader might suspect, one can readily identify commonalities in character between the respective servicemen, both in their actions in combat and, in the case of the living recipients, their views of the award.
Though each of the short stories left this particular reviewer wanting more information, this collection is absolutely a "must read!" Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews