The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration of the United States of America. This program recognizes the long tradition of the medal itself and honors those from Minnesota who sacrificed so much for our freedom. First issued during the Civil War, 72 residents of Minnesota have been recipients of this most prestigious medal.

When the smoke cleared on Iwo Jima in March 1945, 19,000 American Marines had been wounded and 7,000 were dead, a casualty rate of nearly 39 percent. Lasting over a month, Iwo was the Marines' bloodiest battle of the war and the only Pacific battle in which a U.S. landing force suffered more casualties than it inflicted. It was also the most highly decorated single engagement in Marine Corps history.

"It happens in a split second, a moment of focus and clarity, when a choice is made: to act to save others despite the fact that you're afraid. This riveting collection includes real-life stories of Congressional Medal of Honor recipients who made that choice--demonstrating guts and selflessness on the battlefield--as well as civilians who have been recognized for their courage in moments of crisis." -- Page [4] cover.

"The untold story of four of the most decorated soldiers of World War II -- all Medal of Honor recipients -- from the beaches of French Morocco to Hitler's own mountaintop fortress. As the Allies raced to defeat Hitler, four men, all in the same unit, earned medal after medal for battlefield heroism. Maurice "Footsie" Britt, a former professional football player, became the very first American to receive every award for valor in a single war. Michael...

Traces the history of the Medal of Honor from its inception during the Civil War through the Iraq War. Focuses on the stories of a valiant few: Sgt. Paul Smith who died protecting his company at the Baghdad Airport; a Holocaust survivor who single-handedly defends a hill during the Korean War; a Navy SEAL, a veteran of the Vietnam War, who swam for two hours in the ocean, carrying his wounded comrades to safety; a Marine at Iwo Jima who used a flamethrower...

The true story of William Pitsenbarger, an Air Force medic who saved more than sixty men in one of the bleakest battles of the Vietnam War. Presented the chance to escape on the last helicopter, Pitsenbarger stayed behind to save and defend his comrade in arms. Twenty years later, Pitsenbarger's fellow soldiers and father seek the help of investigator Scott Huffman and other surviving veterans to finally secure him The Congressional Medal of Honor...

The author takes as his canvas the Vietnam War, as seen through a single mission that occurred on May 2, 1968. A twelve-man Special Forces team had been covertly inserted into a small clearing in the jungle of neutral Cambodia--where U.S. forces were forbidden to operate. The team did not know they had infiltrated a section of jungle that concealed a major enemy base. When Special Forces staff sergeant Roy Benavidez heard the distress call, he jumped...

I'm Staying with My Boys is a firsthand look inside the life of one of the greatest heroes of the Greatest Generation. Sgt. John Basilone held off 3,000 Japanese troops at Guadalcanal after his 15-member unit was reduced to three men. At Iwo Jima he single-handedly destroyed an enemy blockhouse, allowing his unit to capture an airfield. Minutes later he was killed by an enemy artillery round. He was the only Marine in World War II to have received...