NOTE: Author royalties from the sale of this book in 2021 will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. Sixteen million Americans served in the Armed Forces during World War II; 406,000 never returned home. The ones who did make it back rarely spoke about their time in the service. Maybe out of respect for those who died. Maybe they felt they were just doing their jobs. Maybe they didn't want to relive what they saw. Whatever the reason, if you dared to refer to them as heroes, they would scoff. The real heroes they would tell you, were the ones who didn't come back, the ones who paid the ultimate price. With unbridled reverence for those who fell, it's fair to say they were all heroes. Whether you lived or died was often a crapshoot. Being in this foxhole vs. the next, or on this ship vs. that, could be an act of God, an act of chance, or both. In the end, they all answered their country's call, went willingly into harm's way, put their lives on the line to defend freedom, and fought like hell for those who couldn't fight for themselves. We honor them for that. This is the story of one of those heroes. An 18-year old boy from Jersey City, NJ. A homebody. Just out of high school. Barely able to shave. His journey mirroring that of so many others. Scared. Unsure of himself. Leaving home for the first time. Travelling halfway around the world. Growing up fast along the way. Not knowing when, or if, he's ever coming back. Facing a determined, fanatical enemy who wants to kill him. Staring death in the face. Putting his life on the line for others. Watching those around him die. Wondering if he's next. It's the story of a hero, yes, but also of a child becoming a man, and the ultimate triumph of faith over fear.