First published 2026
Emmy Award winning ABC News correspondent and New York Times bestselling author Martha Raddatz presents ten portraits of American service members and their families. She interviews veterans whose character and actions impressed her deeply, asking them to revisit their most difficult moments. The book features an Air Force rescue parajumper who risked everything to save a stranger, a Marine wounded in an ambush in Helmand Province, an F-18 fighter pilot confronting what she witnessed in combat, and a combat surgeon who developed new treatments for traumatic brain injuries and later trained doctors in Ukraine. Raddatz also profiles an intelligence officer who built a lasting friendship with his 9/11 rescuer and two military mothers whose devotion exemplifies selfless service. These individuals joined the military for different reasons. Some followed family traditions while others escaped troubled homes. The same qualities that made them effective in combat helped them create meaningful second careers. They launched companies, built nonprofits, and maintained their sense of humor through setbacks. Raddatz argues that most Americans remain unaware of these heroes living among us.
Genres: biography, history, american, non-fiction, 21st-century, military-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: true-story
Period: 21st-century
368 pages · Hardcover · Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster