Since 1861, when the U.S. Congress approved the concept of a Medal of Honor for combat valor, more than 3,500 awards have been presented, including nineteen double awards, for extraordinary courage “above and beyond the call of duty.” Twelve of these have been to baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The military and personal stories of these recipients are compelling, perhaps inspiring, and unfortunately a few are tragic. The men who appear in this book are tied by two common threads: the Medal of Honor and their Mormon heritage.
The purpose of this book is to highlight the valor of a special, unique class of Latter-day Saint servicemen who sacrificed and demonstrated the highest level of courage and daring. All four branches of military service are represented: eight were Army (one was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII), two were Navy, and one each from the Air Force and Marine Corps. Five were military professionals who made the military their career, seven were not career-minded, four were killed in action and received their awards posthumously, and two were converts to the faith later after their acts of heroism.
This book captures the harrowing historical narratives from personal, published, and official accounts.