Stories of service members’ valor to be told in project

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"It is held that valor is the chiefest virtue, and most dignifies the haver."
— William Shakespeare

WASHINGTON — Pfc. Jeremy Church, an Army reservist from Bartonville, Ill., serving in Iraq was driving the lead vehicle in a convoy to pick up fuel at Baghdad International Airport on April 9, 2004, when it was ambushed by 150 to 200 Shiite militiamen.

"Church drove aggressively through the kill-zone to dodge explosions, obstacles and small arms fire," the Army said. When a roadside bomb knocked out a tire, he drove for four miles on the remaining three, "all the while firing his M-16 out the window with his left hand."

After leading the convoy to safety, he rallied the troops to return to the ambush site to rescue wounded comrades "amidst heavy black smoke and the wreckage of burning fuel tankers."

When all of the wounded were loaded in the truck, there was no room for Church. He volunteered to stay behind.

"He climbed into a disabled Humvee for cover and continued firing at and killing insurgents until the recovery team returned," the Army said in a commendation that accompanied the Silver Star medal awarded to Church for valor in the face of the enemy.

In the belief that Americans who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan have not received recognition befitting their accomplishments, Stephens Media is undertaking a project to profile service members such as Church who have performed above and beyond the call of duty.

A project titled "War Heroes" will introduce dozens of soldiers who have been recognized for bravery and valor during eight years of military operations.

For most of us comfortable at home, it can be hard to picture what the troops experience. The project’s aim is to take readers into battle and show how citizen-soldiers have risen to perform acts of heroism that the rest of us can only imagine.

The goal is to tell these stories in newspapers and on Web sites starting later this year.