The Real Definition of Hero

American Heroes: On The Homefront – Col. Oliver North and Bob Hamer (Threshold Editions)

With over 50 years in and around the United States military; including 22 years as a decorated active duty member of the U. S. Marine Corp, Col Oliver North USMC Ret., certainly knows his way around the men and women who step up and defend this country and fight for the freedoms we al enjoy.

North has completed 50 embeds with military units around the globe including: battlefields in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Over the course of that time he recounts the changes that he has witnessed first hand, but more importantly he writes vividly about what has remained constant; the heroic sacrifice that these young men and women willingly make on our behalf.

 

In the latest installment of North’s American Heroes series, On The Homefront he follows these heroes from the battlefield back to home. He delivers personal insights into the inspiration and determination that goes into facing down what is often life-altering circumstances. The sacrifice extends beyond just the military member and on into the family and support network that often makes these heroes service and recovery possible.

North’s unique combination of personal experience, been there done that, and his ongoing efforts to aide, assist and support the troops and their families, gives these stories an even greater impact. North is truly a man who puts his money where his mouth is funding the efforts of his Freedom Alliance Scholarship fund through sales of his books.

I am proud to say that I have had the opportunity to interview Col. North on a number of occasions and work with him on a fundraising effort to raise funds for the scholarships that awarded to children of military members who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. I refuse to use the trite term that they have made the “ultimate sacrifice” because I truly believe that none of these heroes willingly sacrifice their lives, choosing instead to go out fighting all the way. It is that fighting spirit that North captures so well in the American Heroes series.