The biography of Oliver Cromwell is full of contradictions concerning this famous figure who was both loved and loathed.  For many, the life of Oliver Cromwell is synonymous with liberty and the elimination of monarchy, but at the same time, many of his campaigns and tactics were dictatorial. 

More

Famous War Heroes: Introduction

War Hero

Peter C. Lemon, born in Toronto, Canada, is one of the youngest surviving veterans of the Vietnam War. Sgt Lemon served in Tay Ninh province in 1970 as assistant machine gunner in defense of the Fire Support Base Illingworth. Greatly outnumbered, Sgt Lemon eliminated all but one of the enemy with artillery and fearlessly engaged in hand-to-hand combat, managing to kill the one remaining. Severely wounded, he carried his fellow soldiers to safety and returned to be wounded again and again until he collapsed from his injuries and sheer exhaustion. Sgt Lemon was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism.


World War II Hero

Dov-Ber Rasofsky, or Barney Ross, was born of a Jewish family in 1909. Barney was a retired world champion boxer who decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps and fight in World War II. Barney fought at Guadalcanal where three of his fellow marines were wounded by enemy fire. Ross was wounded, but continued to fight with bullets and grenades, managing to defeat 20 of the enemy. Barney carried his one remaining partner to safety and for his valor was awarded America’s third highest military honor, the Silver Star. Barney Ross died in his hometown of Chicago at the age of 57.

Civil War Hero

Ulysses S. Grant, the Civil War hero and commander of the Union Army, was born on April 7, 1822, in a simple cottage on the banks of the Ohio River. When the Civil War broke out, Grant left his father’s leather shop to assume command of a group of volunteers in 1862. His first important strategic victory was at Fort Donelson, where he demanded an unconditional surrender of the Confederate forces. Grant, educated at West Point, was known for his military strategy, and President Lincoln appointed him as General-In-Chief of the Union Army in 1864. Grant won the battle of Shiloh and went on to capture Vicksburg, completely dividing the Confederacy. His final triumph, defeating General Lee at the famous battle of Appomattox, brought an end to the Civil War.


World War II Pacific Hero

Boyd D. “Buzz” Wagner, born on October 31, 1916 in Emeigh, Pennsylvania, was an Air Force pilot in World War II. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7,194l, Buzz Wagner destroyed four enemy fighter planes and on December 16, he and two other pilots attacked a Japanese airfield, destroying 17 enemy planes. Wagner became the first American World War II Ace after shooting down his fifth Japanese aircraft while stationed at Clark AFB in the Philippines and later destroying three more planes over New Guinea. Despite his wish to remain in combat, he was ordered back to the U.S., where his skills were used in training new pilots. On a simple routine flight from Eglin Field in Florida to Maxwell Field in Alabama, Wagner apparently veered off course and crashed. The wreckage and his body were found months later and Buzz was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously.


Soldier Hero of World War II

Audie Murphy, born on June 20, 1924 near Kingston, Texas, began his career with the Army Paratroopers in 1942, after being rejected by the Marines for being too short and underweight. In the Army Paratroopers, he was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. He fought in the frontline for over two years in nine battle campaigns and two assault landings, Sicily and Southern France. Audie received the Medal of Honor in 1944 for his bravery at Anion Beachhead, Italy, and was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In addition, Audie Murphy received three Purple Hearts and after release from the hospital, he rejoined Company B. In one of the most famous battles of World War II,, Reidwihr Woods in France, his heroism was again rewarded with the Silver Cross, the Legion of Merit, and the French Croix du Guerre. The most decorated combat soldier in World War II, Audie Murphy received every medal and decoration the United States can give. He died in a plane crash on Memorial Day, 1971.


Revolutionary War Hero

John Paul Jones began his naval career in 1777 in command of the ship Ranger. The Ranger sailed to France and from there raided the British shores, capturing the British warship Drake in 1778. He rebuilt a British merchantman, naming it the Bon Homme Richard, in honor of Ben Franklin. His encounter with the British ship Serapis is one of the most memorable naval battles in history. Undaunted by the larger ship, Jones engaged in a fierce three and a half hour battle and with both ships heavily damaged, the Serapis surrendered. This famous revolutionary war hero received a great deal of recognition in France, but very little from the United States. He is remembered, however, for his famous words “Sir, I have not yet begun to fight.”

There are many war heroes we may never know, those without a place in history, and those without a name. Perhaps, it is true what Audie Murphy once said, “The real heroes were the ones with the wooden crosses.”