MARTHA MACCALLUM: These American heroes show us what true valor really means

What is valor?

Defined by Webster’s Dictionary:

1. Great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. "The medals are awarded for acts of valor."
2. Strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness: personal bravery.

I wrote the "Book of Valor," which will be released on Nov. 10, as we come to the end of our 250th year of independence, to tell our heroic story.

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It spans from the Mayflower to Afghanistan. Told chronologically, "Valor" weaves a thread through our brave history, in the unique voices of those who were actually there. In between passages, a bridge links one era to the next. We pass through times of tyranny abroad, always answered with American values. The threat of communism, toppled. The shock of an Islamist terrorist attack on our homeland, met with unity and firm resolve.

Come with me on a short tour through some of the chapters in the "Book of Valor." Each chapter focuses on one aspect of valor.

Valor

Gives life to the words our presidents use when they bestow our nation’s highest award, the Medal of Honor, which was given to five of those in our pages.

Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum's "The Book of Valor" will be published on Nov. 10, 2026. (Fox News)

Gallantry

Joshua Chamberlain. Told by his brother Thomas (and beautifully narrated on the "Valor" audiobook by Brit Hume). Thomas watches as his brother, a bookish professor from Maine, is transformed into a warrior on the battlefield at Little Round Top, Gettysburg.

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Patriot

A young Black New Yorker, Harry Stewart, dreamed of becoming a pilot in World War II. When his chance came, he headed to Tuskegee, Alabama. As his train passed into the Jim Crow South, Stewart was relegated to a dining car seat where a curtain was pulled around him to segregate him from the other diners. 

Tuskegee Airmen pilots (from L) Lt. Colonel Washington Ross, Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, Colonel Charles McGee and Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson stand next to a Tuskegee Army Airfield AY-6 Texan fighter plane during a ceremony to honor the airmen at Selfridge National Airbase in Harrison Township, Michigan June 19, 2012. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American pilots who flew combat missions in World War II. (REUTERS/Rebecca Cook  )

Still, young Harry says he chose to "keep his eye on the prize." Once overseas, he speaks of his chest swelling with pride for his country as he flew alongside his mighty squadron, bringing justice to Hitler and liberation to Europe. Harry Stewart became a hero, downing three German fighters in one day.

Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr. celebrates his 100th birthday at the Coleman A. Young International Airport on July 4, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan.  (Monica Morgan/Getty Images)

Grace

General Patrick Brady. Once a troubled boy, he grew to become a man who would not rest when a fellow soldier, civilian or foe needed to be rescued in the midst of the brutal Vietnam War. Brady found a way, in his Huey chopper through dense fog and the dark of night, to bring them home. He succeeded 5,000 times. He thanks his two good eyes and his faith that God would cut a path for him through the night.

Sacrifice

Alison Crowther’s son Welles was an equities trader on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. A weekend volunteer firefighter, Welles stood in the carnage of the Sky Lobby in the moments after United Flight 175 had sliced into it. 

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Welles searched in the smoke and debris, finding the only surviving stairwell that connected the area above to the stairs below. He told the survivors, "If you can stand up, stand up. If you can help someone else, help them, and follow me. There is a way!"

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Every one of these brave Americans knew fear and felt, at times, unworthy. They found strength they did not know they had. As Mother Cabrini swept past knife-wielding hooligans into the underworld of New York City to comfort immigrant children, she said, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

I wrote "Valor" as a family treasury for generations. I hope these stories are cherished and shared in your home, that the book’s pages become worn and its binding softened as you return to our proud heritage again and again. 

"Valor" is my answer to the many veterans who asked me to keep going and to make sure that Americans do not forget the heroism of those who fought beside them and did not make it home. 

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They encourage us to believe deeply in the goodness of America and the fight that must continue to preserve our values.

The valorous of the future are among us. You. Your children and theirs. I wrote this book for them and for all of us. It is a story of survival, gallantry and grace.

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