New Heroic Comics #77

Near Inje, Korea, the third platoon of Company B walks straight into a Red ambush in a narrow valley—pinned down and facing impossible odds. Paul J. Wheeler thinks fast: instead of fighting from their exposed position, he grabs the machine gun and races up the rocky slope to flank the enemy troops. His quick thinking and courage turn certain defeat into victory, saving his entire platoon while inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking forces.

During the Korean War, Pfc. George W. Parker of the Second Infantry Division spots enemy troops massing behind a ridge—a threat his unit up front hasn't yet detected. Standing alone against a Red Army charge, Parker makes a desperate choice: instead of taking cover, he uses his automatic rifle to hold the line and turn what could have been an American disaster into a hard-won victory. This true story captures one soldier's split-second decision and the courage it took to stand firm when surrounded.

Two Los Angeles high-school boys, Roy Cadwell and Jack Jones, spot a parked car engulfed in flames and rush to help—only to discover that children are trapped inside. Fighting through the intense heat and locked doors, the boys work together in a desperate race against time to pull the kids to safety before the fire consumes everything.

When a toddler slips into a deep creek during a delivery route, brothers John Good and Bernard Good spring into action with remarkable speed and skill. Diving in without hesitation and performing lifesaving artificial respiration, the brothers work together to pull the child back from the brink of tragedy. This 1952 true-life account celebrates everyday heroism and the split-second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death.

Earl R. "Duke" Cassells was driving a bus on the Worcester-Boston Turnpike when he spotted a truck veering wildly across the highway before it overturned and caught fire. Without hesitation, Duke grabbed his fire extinguishers and rushed toward the burning wreckage to reach the driver trapped in the cab, fighting through smoke and flames to pull the man to safety. It's a straight-ahead account of split-second heroism in the face of a disaster that could have claimed a life.

An American reconnaissance platoon in Korea nearly reaches an enemy stronghold before being discovered and pinned down in a hail of fire—but Corporal Kenneth J. Gaddis, their scout, refuses to fall back, staying put to cover his platoon's retreat with well-aimed grenades. As wave after wave of enemy soldiers press the attack, Gaddis holds his ground through sheer determination, even when wounded, turning the tide of the encounter through relentless courage under fire. This true-life account captures one soldier's unflinching bravery against overwhelming odds.

Maurice J. Fleming, a troubleman for the Lowell Electric Light Company, answers what should be a routine call to clear interference from the power lines—only to discover a man dangerously caught in live wires. When a fallen limb pulls the wires down across the victim, Fleming springs into action, driving the injured man to safety and then climbing the ladder himself to save a life that appears lost. His refusal to give up, even when resuscitation seems hopeless, turns a tragedy into a rescue.

Captain Edward Krzyzowski, commanding officer of the 9th Infantry Regiment during the bitter Korean conflict, leads repeated assaults on the heavily fortified Hill Two of Heartbreak Ridge despite mounting casualties and his own mounting wounds. Time and again, the captain volunteers for the most dangerous missions—crawling through enemy fire to destroy bunkers, directing mortar barrages from deep within hostile territory—refusing evacuation even as shrapnel takes its toll. His extraordinary personal courage and willingness to sacrifice everything sets the stage for a final, decisive push that will determine the fate of the battle.