Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry

Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes

If you can’t quite make it out, the tattoo says: “For those I love I will sacrifice.”

Word has it that Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, now a triple amputee, is in good spirits and races his wheelchair around the hospital.

Harriet Tubman

Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad and led hundreds of slaves to freedom.

Officer Nick Erfle

Phoenix Police Officer Nick Erfle died in the line of duty in September of 2007.

After surviving two bouts of cancer, he turned down a light duty desk job in order to get back to patrolling the streets as quickly as he could.

Mother Teresa

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Mother Teresa dedicated more than 45 years of her life to helping the poor, sick, and dying.

Sergeant Dakota Meyer

Disobeying orders, Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer pressed forward into the heart of an ambush in Afghanistan to rescue four trapped soldiers. In the process, he recovered their remains, evacuated 12 wounded, and provided cover for 24 others to escape. For his bravery, he was presented with the Medal of Honor in September.

Danny Thomas

Danny Thomas once made a vow as a struggling actor that if he ever became successful, he would open a hospital.

He founded the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 1962. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the facility was dedicated to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes, and has treated thousands of children with cancer.

Brian Teichman

After noticing a man pulling a woman over a guardrail and into a heavily wooded area against her will, Marine vet Brian Teichman, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, swung into action.

He confronted the attacker, running towards the scene and screaming at him to get off the victim. As the would-be rapist fled, Brian carried the crying lady, who couldn’t walk, back over the guardrail to safety.

Jason Schechterle

www.beyondtheflames.com

Ten years and more than 50 surgeries after a crash that engulfed him in flames and almost took his life in the line of duty, retired Phoenix Police Officer Jason Schechterle personifies the phoenix tattooed on his skin grafts.

Armed with an incredibly positive outlook and fabulous sense of humor, the married father of three (one of which was born just 19 months after the accident) started his own non-profit foundation dedicated to helping others overcome life-altering adversity.

Herman Cain

Let’s put aside politics for a moment and take a look at Herman Cain the man.

From humble beginnings in the segregated south, he pulled himself up by the bootstraps, earning degrees in both mathematics and computer science, working for the Navy as a civilian employee, and becoming a successful businessman.

As if that weren’t enough, you can add to the list of accomplishments that he beat stage 4 colon/liver cancer and lives to tell his story with humor and a smile on his face.

Lance Corporal Liam Tasker & Theo

Why no post yesterday? Because not even death could separate this solider and his dog, so how could I?

Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, a dog handler with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, died of injuries sustained during a firefight with Afghan insurgents back in March.

Theo joined him just hours later after suffering a seizure experts believe was brought about by stress…or was it a broken heart?

The solider and his bomb-sniffing dog were a successful team credited with uncovering 14 hidden bombs and weapons caches, setting a record in Afghanistan. Tasker’s uncle, Billy McCord, said he was worried about being separated from his dog when his tour of duty ended.

“That was preying on his mind, but they are not separated now.”

Brett Harrington

When a registered sex offender first approached and then grabbed his 13 year-old daughter by the shoulder in April, Brett Harrington came to the rescue.

After receiving a call from his child on her cell phone, he quickly arrived on the scene. They drove around until spotting the suspect. “I grabbed him, body slammed him, and put him in a nice headlock and waited till the deputies showed up,” he said.

Way to go, Daddy-O!!!

John Walsh

After the brutal murder of his son, Adam, in 1981, John Walsh turned tragedy into triumph by getting involved with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (where he serves on the Board of Directors) and becoming the host of “America’s Most Wanted”, a television show credited with the capture of over 1,000 fugitives and the return of more that 50 missing children.

Trakr

Known for his knack to locate people, evidence, and stolen property, Canadian police dog Trakr (along with his handler, James Symington) traveled 15 hours from Nova Scotia to Ground Zero and participated in the search and rescue mission.

After finding the last survivor buried beneath rubble, he collapsed from chemical/smoke inhalation, burns, and exhaustion. He was treated and released.

Trakr later died in April 2009 at the age of 16 from a neurological disease that some experts attribute to smoke exposure during his work at the World Trade Center site.

Helen Dunsford

Despite having terminal stage four cancer, Helen Dunsford tackled a would-be Florida bank robber in April and pinned her to the floor until the police arrived.

When asked why she confronted the suspect, Helen told officers she “was dying of cancer, figured she had nothing to lose, and didn’t want to see her get away with it.”

Navajo Code Talkers

The Navajo Code Talkers transmitted secret messages using an unbreakable code that continually baffled Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The accuracy and speed at which 800 communications were sent and received (without any errors) in the first two days of The Battle of Iwo Jima alone played a pivotal role in the war by allowing the United States to capture an island controlled by the Japanese Empire.

“Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima,” said Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer of the Navajos.

Bob Hope

"G.I. Bob"

In October 1997, Resolution 75 was passed unanimously in both houses of Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton making Bob Hope an “Honorary Veteran” for his tireless work entertaining American troops for more than 50 years.

Upon receiving this honor, Hope said, “I’ve been given many awards in my lifetime — but to be numbered among the men and women I admire most — is the greatest honor I have ever received.”

Thanks for the Memory…

Culper Spy Ring

Organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge under the orders of General George Washington, the purpose of the Culper Spy Ring was to provide information on British activity during the Revolutionary War. This operation was so secretive that Washington himself did not know the agents’ true identities.

Members of the ring are credited with uncovering a plot to sell West Point to the British by the commanding officer, General Benedict Arnold. If the plan had been successful, the betrayal would have resulted in Americans being cut off from vital supplies as they were shipped up the Hudson River.

Sarah Townsend, Anna Strong, and a female operative known only as “355” played crucial roles in the organization. During a time when women were expected to refrain from holding political views, they were never suspected of being spies. This assumption allowed them to provide valuable assistance and information undetected.

The Culper Spy Ring acted as a model for the CIA. Several techniques employed by the group, such as writing in code and using invisible ink, are still in use today.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks took a stand by remaining seated.

 “I did not want to be mistreated, I did not want to be deprived of a seat that I had paid for. It was just time… there was opportunity for me to take a stand to express the way I felt about being treated in that manner. I had not planned to get arrested. I had plenty to do without having to end up in jail. But when I had to face that decision, I didn’t hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured that too long. The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became.”  -Rosa Parks

SEAL Team 6

They killed Bin Laden.

Then came an unthinkable tragedy when so many were lost in a helicopter crash over Afghanistan.

Through the highs and lows, a grateful nation will always remember and honor the Navy’s SEAL Team 6.

Winston Churchill

       —First speech as Prime Minister, House of Commons, 13 May 1940.

Pat Tillman

He put aside his NFL career to join the Army with his brother, Kevin, after the attacks on 9/11.

Mike Davis

Good morning from the Grand Canyon!

First it was the sands of Iraq.

Next, the rugged terrain of Afghanistan.

Last week, he returned to the desert to take on Molly’s family in Arizona…

…and he survived it all…

Jason Poulter

I know, I know…

An obvious choice, right? I mean, the guy is a two-time cancer survivor, business owner, foster parent, “Superdad”, ideal husband, has volunteered for 20 + years at Camp Sunrise…the list goes on and on!

Welcome to Hero Junction where heroes will be honored each day. “Let’s roll…” -Todd Beamer

www.honorflight93.org

“For generations, people will study the story of Flight 93. They will learn that individual choices make a difference, that love and sacrifice can triumph over evil and hate, and that what happened above this Pennsylvania field ranks among the most courageous acts in American history.

The memorial we dedicate today will ensure that our nation always remembers those lost here on 9/11. But we have a duty beyond memory. We have a duty beyond honoring. We have a duty to live our lives in a way that upholds the ideals for which the men and women gave their lives – to build a living memorial to their courage and sacrifice.”

-President George W. Bush’s Remarks at the Dedication of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa.