"In Common Valor, Frank Viscuso describes the firefighting world as only a firefighter can. Viscuso captures the human emotion and drama from firefighters who have endured a wide range of firefighting and rescue scenarios. He goes way beyond the stories that the public may hear about. With Common Valor, you live it. From these dramatic descriptions, you feel yourself right there, up close with the rescuers. From seeing fellow firefighters die to being caught in a flashover and living to tell about it, Common Valor captures the true spirit and camaraderie of firefighters." —Harvey Eisner If you are a firefighter, or hope to be one someday, you need to read Common Valor. This book captures the true spirit of firefighting and all the emotions that accompany what has been called both the greatest and most stressful job on earth.

Harry Seymour and Samantha Hazelwood want to get married and build a family. He is a college student from a wealthy New Orleans family, and she is the daughter of an old Virginia family. They could be married without delay, if not for the war that tore the United States apart. With heavy heart, Harry enlists with the Confederacy but hates the thought of fighting his own kin from Connecticut. In the meantime, Sam is recruited to be a spy in Washington. As the war comes to an end, the two lovers are reunited. Harry is a broken man financially and psychologically, having faced the terrors of war and lived to tell about them. Still madly in love, Sam welcomes him home; with the help of relatives and a former slave, they rebuild their fortunes during the turbulent Reconstruction. But their troubles are far from over. An old nemesis will not let the war end at Appomattox. Elliot Seymour is one of Harry's Connecticut cousins, and he finds a way to imprison Sam. He confiscates the lovers' home and uses their former slaves against them. Will Harry and Sam's love survive yet another tragedy? War is hell; it can ruin an entire country, but it can also make warriors out of cowards, heroes out of slaves, and spouses out of lovers if only good can prevail in the midst of horror.

A dramatic photo history of the battle of Iwo Jima and the iconic picture that captured America-DVD included! On February 23, 1945, as the battle for the Japanese island stronghold of Iwo Jima raged below, Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal's camera captured six troops raising the Stars and Stripes on Mt. Suribachi. That photograph would go on to symbolize the Marines' valor and America's determination to win World War II. This is the story of the ten days Rosenthal spent on Iwo Jima-and how his Pulitzer-winning picture came to be. Containing over 120 combat photographs- including shots of the flag-raising by other photographers-quotes from survivors, newspapers and magazines, battle reports and Medal of Honor citations, here is a grunt's eye view of the bloodiest battle in U.S. Marine Corps history. It also recounts "the photograph's" enduring legacy in popular culture, and reveals the fates of the flag raisers- men who became a fixture in their country's history.

An in-depth account of the World War II battle of Iwo Jima, immortalized in Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi, describes the events of the battle between U.S. Marines and Japanese forces, as well as Rosenthal's ten days on Iwo Jima during the conflict, in a narrative complemented by more than 120 archival combat photographs. 50,000 first printing.

Uncommon Valor from Dwight Jon Zimmerman and John D. Gresham presents a fascinating look at six of our bravest soldiers and the highest military decoration awarded in this country. Since the Vietnam War ended in 1973, the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award for valor, has been presented to only eight men for their actions "above and beyond the call of duty." Six of the eight were young men who had fought in the current war in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. All of these medals were awarded posthumously, as all had made the choice to give their lives so that their comrades might live. Uncommon Valor answers the searing question of who these six young soldiers were, and dramatically details how they found themselves in life-or-death situations, and why they responded as they did. For the first time, this book also provides a comprehensive history of the Medal of Honor itself—one marred by controversies, scandals, and theft. Using an extraordinary range of sources, including interviews with family members and friends, teammates and superiors in the military, personal letters, blogs posted within hours of events, personal and official videos and newly declassified documents, Uncommon Valor is a compelling and important work that recounts incredible acts of heroism and lays bare the ultimate sacrifice of our bravest soldiers.

Heroes get a new meaning when you see inside their lives. Gracie is a Navy Pilot; Bruce works Air Force Pararescue. With dangerous jobs—often away from home—they write love letters. When Gracie is shot down behind enemy lines, Bruce has one mission: get her out alive. Uncommon Heroes: Welcome to a world where friendships go deep, loyalties stand strong, and uncommon heroes perform the toughest jobs in the world. Dee Henderson's military romance series provides a detailed passage into the world of the military and homeland heroes, and those they love.

The epic Battle of Iwo Jima is recounted through the stories of twenty-eight American soldiers who showed uncommon valor during one of WWII’s most bitter conflicts. When the smoke cleared on Iwo Jima in March of 1945, nineteen-thousand American Marines had been wounded and seven-thousand were dead, a casualty rate of nearly thirty-nine percent. Lasting over a month, Iwo was the Marines’ bloodiest battle of the Second World 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. This volume captures the bravery of those who fought in that epic battle through the stories of twenty-two Marines and five Navy personnel who received the Medal of Honor in recognition of their gallantry under fire.

In his new book Step Up and Lead, Frank Viscuso--author, speaker, and career deputy chief--shares the secrets of effective fire service leadership, introduces the traits and skills essential for successful fire service leaders, and discusses the importance of customer service. Designed to help you reach the top of your profession, this new book is considered must-read material for anyone who is ready to step up and lead!