American Heroes: Stories of Faith, Courage, and Sacrifice from the Front Lines

Stephen Mansfield
J. Countryman (2006)
ISBN 140410416X
Reviewed by Steve Wilkins for Reader Views (12/06)

As a former naval officer, I was both honored and skeptical when I learned of the opportunity to review Stephen Mansfield’s book about tales of American heroes fighting on the front lines.  As an American and prior service member myself, I am distinctly aware of the dedication and courage our men and women in uniform have for ensuring the national security of our country. Out of this dedication and courage, however, sacrifice is borne.  For the most part, sacrifice comes in the form of sweat, long days with little sleep, and months at a time away from family, friends and all that is familiar.  Other times it can come in the form of lost blood and for that I am honored to review this book.  My skepticism on the other hand is merely a function of my discomfort with the label of “hero.”  Service men and women by their very nature do not think they are anything special and certainly do not look at themselves as heroes.  They see themselves simply as people who do their job day in and day out and do it well.  They are a proud bunch, but not arrogant.  I was skeptical because I thought the book would tell the tale of “heroes” on the front line simply doing their job.

I was wrong.

Mansfield’s book is more like an essay in a hardcover wrapper.  It is short, capable of being read in less than an hour, even for a slow reader such as me.  The book will draw you in and inspire you to be a better person.  Like the book, “Twenty-five Yards of War” by Ronald J. Drez, “American Heroes” describes in a shorter format what it must be like for ordinary men and women to be faced with the unthinkable during combat.  Mansfield has a gift of taking raw facts and turning them into a beautiful story in easy to read prose.  So often people get caught up in day to day activities that they forget their life could be far worse than they ever imagined. This book provides perspective and should be read by every American. It deserves to be read.

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