[1][2] Their activities notable range from traditional battlefield heroics to medics saving lives to refusals to follow illegal orders.

[5] He was awarded the Silver Star for courageous actions taken near Anju, South Pyongan in North Korea on November 5, 1950, as UN forces advanced towards the Yalu River.

In a review for the Wall Street Journal, Alexander Rose wrote that "McCain and Salter have chosen a thoughtful array of subjects" and that the book was in the tradition of Plutarch's Parallel Lives and the romances and chronicles of Medieval literature in revealing how character and codes of behavior can lead to greatness.

"[6] Military Review said that McCain and Salter "do an incredible job of bringing to life not only the experiences and stories of the individuals being examined, but also of those who served around them.

[2] Publishers Weekly said "McCain and Salter aptly reveal humanizing moments in such theaters of cruelty.”[3] Kirkus Reviews summarized the book as containing "A patriotic though unsentimental look at the major wars fought by the United States as told through the difficult experiences of ordinary soldiers.