True Stories of Bravery from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines

November 1, 2014
Grades 3-6 This high-interest collective biography celebrates acts of heroism from all branches of the military throughout American history. The brief biographies include a diverse group of soldiers, including Sergeant William Carney, who served in the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Volunteer Colored Infantry during their perilous siege of Fort Wagner during the Civil War; Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom; and Rebecca Turpin, a marine who led her convoy through enemy fire in Afghanistan with zero casualties. The stories are arranged according to branch of service, and a brief history of each branch introduces its chapter. Major American wars and conflicts are described through statistics and figures in the margins. A full-color chart shows images and descriptions of the military awards mentioned in the text. An informative and visually appealing study in the bravery and heroism that can be found in some of the nation's darkest moments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)