New Heroic Comics #46

When a young boy's bicycle sends him plunging into icy water during a Sunday drive, John E. Feola of Syracuse doesn't hesitate—he dives in fully clothed to pull the child to safety. But when asked to retrieve the sunken bike, Feola has other priorities, and this true-life rescue from 1946 takes an unexpected turn.

When an American doctor falls critically ill in the remote Philippine village of Bontoc, T/S James J. Doherty and an Army staff sergeant undertake a harrowing 150-mile jungle jeep ride to deliver blood for a transfusion—then face an even greater challenge in finding a way to get the patient airlifted to safety. With no proper landing strip in sight, the pair must improvise a solution using the village street itself, all while racing against time to save the doctor's life.

On the morning of December 29, 1937, a devastating fire broke out at a Jersey City hotel, and telephone operator Helen Rosalie Sullivan made the heroic choice to remain at her switchboard to alert guests to the danger rather than flee to safety. Racing against the spreading flames, she systematically warned residents on every floor she could reach, prioritizing the elderly and infirm, until the fire forced her to escape. Her extraordinary sacrifice and selflessness in putting others' lives before her own earned her the Theodore N. Vail Gold Medal of Honor from the telephone company.

When a bomber crashes near Handsboro, Mississippi, sixteen-year-old Edgar Little, Jr. springs into action—racing to the wreckage and drawing on his Red Cross first aid training to tend to the injured airmen. This true-life account follows a young man's quick thinking and courage as he applies classroom knowledge in a real emergency, earning recognition for his heroic efforts.

When smoke seeps into her room on a quiet night in Springfield, Massachusetts, Joan Gloster awakens to discover her house is ablaze—and her family and neighbors are still asleep inside. She springs into action, rousing her household and alerting the fire station across the street, then races back into the burning building to warn others trapped within. Her quick thinking and courage save eleven lives from the inferno.

When John Green and his companions capsize their canoe on Lake Champlain, the sixteen-year-old from Montreal makes a desperate decision: he'll swim for shore to bring back a rescue team while his brother and two friends cling to the overturned hull. What follows is a grueling two-mile swim through choppy water against the clock, as John battles exhaustion and doubt to reach help before his friends succumb to the cold.

James Tozer of Stratford, Ontario is enjoying a picnic on a Bayfield beach in 1946 when he hears a girl calling for help from the water—she's drifting away and can't swim. Without hesitation, Tozer plunges in to rescue her, pulling her to safety just as she goes under for what could be the final time. When her grateful parent tries to reward him with a check, Tozer refuses, making clear that his only concern was saving her life.

When a newspaper printer named Hobbs Carter spots flames engulfing a nearby building at two in the morning, he and a police captain rush into the smoke-filled structure to search for anyone trapped inside. Working together through the inferno, the two men discover and rescue a woman, performing lifesaving measures to bring her back. This true-life account celebrates the everyday heroism of ordinary citizens who answer the call when danger strikes.

When a young child freezes in fear on the railroad tracks in Dubuque, Iowa, nine-year-old schoolgirl Margaret Brimeyer races into danger to pull her to safety as a Great Western train bears down on them. This true-life account captures a moment of courage that far exceeded her years, set on a fateful April day in 1946.

William J. Fagan's quick thinking saves the Lincoln Building in Buffalo when he discovers a dangerous fire brewing in the elevator shaft during a routine ride. Tracing the smoke to its source on the seventh floor, Fagan fights through thick smoke to haul the burning debris into the elevator and race it down to street level, kicking the fiery box outside before it can engulf the building. His fearless action prevents what could have been one of Buffalo's worst fire disasters.

Lawrence Soper, a school patrol member at Cranch School, faces a harrowing moment when a young girl ignores traffic safety and darts into a busy intersection against the light. With heavy traffic bearing down, Soper must act fast to prevent tragedy on the streets of Washington, D.C. This true-life story celebrates the vital role school patrols play in keeping neighborhoods safe.

Young Bruce Bresnick of Essex, Maryland faces a desperate choice when the sailboat he and his companions are on capsizes in the turbulent waters of Chesapeake Bay—with the vessel slowly sinking and darkness falling, he decides to swim three grueling hours through white-capped waves to reach shore and summon a rescue. This is the true account of one teenager's fight against exhaustion and the elements to save his friends adrift in the bay.

When Central Park Zoo faced an impossible task—moving an elephant named Chang to a new home—everyone said it couldn't be done, until they called Lawrence Gerosa, the resourceful chief of a major hauling service. Gerosa devises an ingenious solution involving a custom-built tent to keep Chang calm during the perilous journey across Manhattan to Prospect Park Zoo. It's a true-life story of problem-solving and nerve, proving that sometimes the word "impossible" just needs the right person to prove it wrong.

When a man wanders onto the railroad tracks in the path of an oncoming train near Canandaigua, New York, brakeman Fay E. Wheeler of the Pennsylvania Railroad must act with split-second timing to save his life. Wheeler's extraordinary courage and quick thinking in the face of mortal danger earn him the railroad's highest honor: the Medal for Heroic Service.