Jim DeFelice

Seventy-five years ago, he hit Omaha Beach with the first wave. Now Ray Lambert, ninety-eight years old, recalls his role as a World War II medic who risked his life to save the heroes of D-Day. It is the story not only of what happened in the desperate hours on Omaha Beach, but of the bravery and courage that preceded them throughout the Second World War -- from the sands of Africa, through the treacherous mountain passes of Sicily and beyond, to...

This is the story of how an ordinary Iraqi became a hero to America's elite warriors. Night after night, while his homeland was being destroyed around him, he guided the U.S. Navy SEALs through Iraq's most dangerous regions. Operating under the code name "Johnny Walker," he risked his life on more than a thousand missions and became a legend in the U.S. special-ops community. But in the eyes of Iraq's terrorists and insurgents, he and his family were...

"Louis Massina is revolutionizing the field of robotics. His technological wonders are capable of locating disaster survivors, preventing nuclear meltdowns, and replacing missing limbs. After one of Massina's creations makes a miraculous rescue, an FBI agent recruits him to pursue criminals running a massive financial scam--and not coincidentally, suspected of killing the agent's brother. Massina agrees to deploy a surveillance 'bot' that uses artificial...

"Opening up for the first time about his combat experience, Congressman Ruben Gallego (D, AZ) delivers a moving and unforgettable memoir of the eternal bonds forged between the Marines of Lima Company, the hardest-hit unit of the Iraq War"-- At first, they were {28}Lucky Lima.

"Now at 95, one of the few living members of the Greatest Generation shares his experiences at last in one of the most remarkable World War II stories ever told. As the Allied Invasion of Normandy launched in the pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944, Henry Langrehr, an American paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, was among the thousands of Allies who parachuted into occupied France. Surviving heavy anti-aircraft fire, he crashed through the glass roof of...

Kyle and DeFelice have collected true stories of suffering, survival, and triumph from people across America. In embodying the 'American spirit' of resilience, faith and togetherness that has built the nation, these anecdotes profile how love, passion, and service can combine to help us persevere over personal pain and heal our communities. The stories these individuals tell can teach us how to find purpose, no matter the difficulties we face. --...

"Fighting was a practiced routine for Lieutenant Ivan Castro. But when a mortar round struck the rooftop of his sniper's post in Iraq, he found himself in a battle more difficult than even he could have imagined. The direct hit killed two other soldiers and nearly claimed Castro's life as well. Mangled by shrapnel and badly burned, Castro was medevac'd to Germany more dead than alive. His lungs were collapsed. He couldn't hear. One eye had been blown...