How does an ordinary person become a hero? It happens in a split second, a moment of focus and clarity, when a c made. Here are the gripping accounts of Medal of Honor recipients who demonstrated guts and selflessness on the and confronted life-threatening danger to make a difference. There are the stories of George Sakato and Vernon Baker—both of whom overcame racial discrimination to enlist in the army during World War II (Sakato was a sec generation Japanese American, Baker an African American) and went on to prove that heroes come in all colors—an Clint Romesha, who led his outnumbered fellow soldiers against a determined enemy to prevent the Taliban from t over a remote U.S. Army outpost in Afghanistan. Also included are civilians who have been honored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation for outstanding of bravery in crisis situations, from a school shooting to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Adding depth and context are illuminating essays on the combat experience and its aftermath, covering topics such as overcoming fe mother mourning the loss of her son; and “surviving hell” as a prisoner of war.