Mark Lee Greenblatt

Author of Valor

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Interview with Devotion Author Adam Makos

November 12, 2016 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

Heroism, Brotherhood and Sacrifice

Mark Lee Greenblatt, Real Clear Politics, November 12, 2016

http://www.realclearbooks.com/articles/2016/11/12/heroism_brotherhood_and_sacrifice_169.html

Below is a conversation between Mark Lee Greenblatt and author Adam Makos about his new book, “Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Brotherhood, and Sacrifice” 

Q: Devotion arose out of a spontaneous, chance meeting with Tom Hudner in the lobby of a hotel. You wrote that you had to muster the courage to talk him and that developed into this highly successful book. Is there a lesson there?

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Adam Makos, Author Interview, Book Review, Devotion, Jesse Brown, Korean War, Medal of Honor, Real Clear Politics, Tom Hudner

Book Review: Tod Lidberg’s Heroic Heart

March 25, 2016 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

Death of the Slaying Hero: Modern egalitarian cultures can’t stomach the idea of military glory.

Mark Lee Greenblatt, Real Clear Politics, March 25, 2016
http://city-journal.org/html/death-slaying-hero-14310.html
In The Heroic Heart, Tod Lindberg explores the evolution of the heroic ideal from the ancient world to today, examining how heroes shape politics and how the political world shapes heroism. Lindberg’s “classical heroic type” describes those rare individuals willing to risk death to fulfill their own inner sense of greatness. Historical and literary examples include Achilles, Julius Caesar, and Coriolanus. Political orders adjusted to such highly individualistic, destabilizing heroes by shifting their motivations from fighting for individual glory to fighting for a greater good. “The problem of the collision of heroism and politics found a path to resolution,” Lindberg writes, “when political authorities figured out how to put a hero to use in service of their ends.”
Civilized society evolved further, emerging into a new egalitarian political order that would eventually find no place for the classical hero. Egalitarianism “is in fact designed to prevent the emergence of such a character,” Lindberg writes, lest the next Alexander the Great emerge to restore anti-democratic autocracy. The tragedies of twentieth-century history also conspired against traditional heroism. Celebrating battlefield glory became less viable after the ghastly trench warfare of World War I. The individual soldier became an antihero, Lindberg says, and war-fighting became anti-glorious.
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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Chris Kyle, Heroic Heart, heroism, Tod Lindberg

Task and Purpose: The Soldier Who Rescued His Men From An Ambush Despite A Traumatic Brain Injury

November 26, 2015 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

November 26, 2015

http://taskandpurpose.com/unsung-heroes-the-soldier-who-rescued-his-men-from-an-ambush-despite-a-traumatic-brain-injury/

valor loheide picStaff Sgt. Matthew Loheide heard the sound and looked up. He had expected the bomb falling from the sky to target an insurgent position 200 yards away. Instead, it was going to land perilously close to Loheide and his men.

Before he blacked out, Loheide realized that their already difficult day was about to get a lot worse.

On June 27, 2010, Loheide was serving in Afghanistan as a platoon sergeant with the U.S. Army’s 2d Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. He had already completed three tours in Iraq.

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Afghanistan, Daridam, friendly fire, Ft. Campbell, Ghaki Valley, Kunar, matthew loheide, Operation Strong Eagle, Silver Star, TBI, traumatic brain injury

Military.com: Three Things I Learned About Courage From Interviewing Our Troops

November 24, 2015 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

http://www.military.com/off-duty/books/2015/11/23/three-things-i-learned-about-courage-from-interviewing-our-troop.html

Courage. It’s one of those noble qualities we all want. But what is courage? What traits do courageous people share? Is courage something that can be learned?

During the course of researching and writing my book, Valor: Unsung Heroes from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, I was fortunate to interview a number of soldiers, sailors, and Marines who epitomize courage. Each of the heroes profiled in Valor endured a harrowing experience, in which they demonstrated remarkable bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.

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Filed Under: Blog

Task & Purpose: The Marine Who Shielded His Team From A Grenade And Then Kept Fighting

August 13, 2015 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

valor tp_logo

 

August 13, 2015

http://taskandpurpose.com/unsung-heroes-the-marine-who-shielded-his-team-from-a-grenade-and-then-kept-fighting/

t&p weinmaster pic“Ambush Alley.” That was what they called this side street. It was nestled in the Sangin district of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, a Taliban stronghold. The street was just 8 feet wide, with 10-foot brick walls lining either side.

It was where Pfc. Richard Weinmaster would prove his mettle.

Weinmaster and other members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment were conducting a dismounted patrol through Ambush Alley on July 8, 2008, when they were attacked by Taliban fighters.

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Filed Under: Blog

Task & Purpose: This Father’s Sacrifice Demonstrates How Military Families Stand Apart

June 5, 2015 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

valor tp_logo

June 5, 2015

http://taskandpurpose.com/this-fathers-sacrifice-demonstrates-how-military-families-stand-apart/

valor oren gloria fam picI can’t help but think about a wonderful couple I met during a recent book signing in San Antonio, Texas. I can’t shake Oren and Gloria’s story. To me, it perfectly illustrates why our military personnel and their families deserve our respect. Theirs is a simple story — nothing like the death-defying accounts of bravery on the battlefield in my book “Valor” — but it reveals another kind of heroism that should also give us pause.

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Filed Under: Blog

Task & Purpose: The Army Scout Who Swam Through A River And Cut Through An Electric Fence

May 28, 2015 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

valor tp_logo

http://taskandpurpose.com/unsung-heroes-the-army-scout-who-swam-through-a-river-and-cut-through-an-electric-fence/

May 28, 2015

valor ken thomas pic t&pThe river patrol had been a debacle.

After receiving reports about insurgent movements and weapons smuggling along the Tigris River in northern Baghdad, the coalition had decided to try a river patrol. On February 16, 2007, four boats set out, manned jointly by Iraqi police and American soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment.

Unfortunately, the boats proved to be easy targets for an ambush from the riverbanks. “Numerous insurgents popped out of buildings on both sides of the river and peppered the unconcealed blue boats with bullet holes,” according to a 2008 report from Stars and Stripes.

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Filed Under: Blog

Task & Purpose: This Army Medic Overcame Gunfire And A Broken Leg To Save 14 Soldiers

April 30, 2015 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

valor tp_logo

http://taskandpurpose.com/unsung-heroes-this-army-medic-overcame-gunfire-and-a-broken-leg-to-save-14-soldiers/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=tp-facebook&utm_campaign=culture

April 30, 2015

valor T&P Bringloe photoThree days. Eleven hoists. Fourteen survivors. Three critical resupply missions.

Two bodies recovered.

One brave medic who refused to quit even after fracturing her leg.

On June 25, 2011, Sgt. Julia Bringloe, with C Company, 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion, was the medic for the four-person crew aboard a Black Hawk helicopter. The crew was one of two Army medevac teams tasked with supporting Operation Hammer Down in Afghanistan’s Watahpor Valley.

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Filed Under: Blog

Task & Purpose: This Army Reservist Saved A Crowd From A Suicide Bomber

April 7, 2015 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

valor tp_logo

http://taskandpurpose.com/unsung-heroes-this-army-reservist-saved-a-crowd-from-a-suicide-bomber/

March 26, 2015

valor fetty picSomething wasn’t right. The man was dressed as a doctor, but his face was unfamiliar and his behavior erratic.

After working for ten months with his provincial reconstruction team on the construction of a new emergency room at Khost City Hospital in Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Jason Fetty was pretty sure he could recognize all the doctors who worked here. This man didn’t belong.

It was Feb. 20, 2007. Fetty, an Army reservist from West Virginia, was on guard duty for the emergency room’s grand opening. Scores of people had gathered for the ceremony, including the governor of Khost and a number of other dignitaries.

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Filed Under: Blog

Task & Purpose: The Private Who Burned His Hands To Save His Fallen Brothers

February 25, 2015 by Lorianne Leave a Comment

valor tp_logo

February 19, 2015

http://taskandpurpose.com/unsung-heroes-private-burned-hands-save-fallen-brothers/

Silver Star Recipient Recalls Tragic NightHis hands were burning. His weapon’s hand guards had been blown off during the explosion, and the bare metal was searing his skin. Yet 18-year-old Christopher Fernandez didn’t let go. He knew the suppressive fire provided by this machine gun was the only thing giving his wounded comrades a chance.

It was May 5, 2004. Fernandez, of the 21st Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division, was part of a three-vehicle patrol in the Saidiyah neighborhood of western Baghdad. Fernandez was a machine gunner in one of the Humvees.

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Filed Under: Blog

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Recent Posts

  • Interview with Devotion Author Adam Makos
  • Book Review: Tod Lidberg’s Heroic Heart
  • Task and Purpose: The Soldier Who Rescued His Men From An Ambush Despite A Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Military.com: Three Things I Learned About Courage From Interviewing Our Troops
  • Task & Purpose: The Marine Who Shielded His Team From A Grenade And Then Kept Fighting

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