New Heroic Comics #83

Sergeant Richard Matheney returns from fourteen months of combat in Korea, decorated with three medals—the Navy Cross, Silver Star, and Bronze Star—each earned through acts of extraordinary courage under fire. This true-life account traces three separate actions: his machine-gun stand against waves of enemy attackers, his fearless direction of artillery fire after his lieutenant fell, and his resourceful use of trip flares to illuminate enemy positions during a critical ammunition run. The story captures the real combat decisions and split-second bravery that earned this young non-com his hard-won honors.

Private First Class Raymond A. Acosta of Jackson, Mississippi faced a race against nature when a torrential downpour threatened to wash out a vital supply route to the front lines in Korea. Using ingenuity and determination, he rallied Korean soldiers to help rebuild the ford, overcoming the language barrier through sign language and personal example to coordinate their desperate efforts against the rising water. His quick thinking and leadership earned him the Bronze Star for his meritorious achievement with the Tenth Army Corps.

During the Korean War, a patrol led by Pvt. Santopietro and his squad comes under devastating machine gun fire near Sag-i-Nak, pinning them down with no way out. Faced with certain annihilation, Santopietro makes a fateful decision to charge the enemy position alone, racing across open ground to silence the gun. This is a true account of uncommon courage under fire, told in the unflinching style New Heroic Comics brings to the real stories of American servicemen.

Near Sagon, Korea, Sgt. Vernon E. Presnell of Ellettsville, Indiana, displays extraordinary courage under fire, crawling through devastating enemy positions to destroy bunkers and capture soldiers with grenades and sheer determination. This true account of gallantry in combat follows a soldier whose brave actions earn him the Silver Star Medal, the nation's third highest award for valor—a recognition that carries deep meaning for those who knew him best.

During the Korean War, Platoon Sergeant Jerome F. Sears and Corporal Elmer A. Scott of Company B, 180th Infantry Regiment, take position as forward observers when enemy forces overwhelm their unit's defensive line. The two soldiers order their platoon to fall back and hold their ground alone, buying time for their comrades to reorganize and mount a counterattack. This is the true account of two soldiers whose sacrifice turned the tide of battle.

Company L of the 224th Infantry Regiment—a unit of untested troops—faces overwhelming odds against well-entrenched Chinese forces on a Korean hill near Kumsong, with the legendary "Walking Jim" at their side to bolster morale. When Squad leader Sgt. Mendoza makes the ultimate sacrifice to turn the tide, Lieutenant James A. Townsend takes command and leads his men through desperate combat, carrying wounded to safety and inspiring fearless charges that eventually break the enemy's grip. This true account captures one of the fiercest small-unit victories of the Korean War, where green infantrymen proved themselves against vastly superior numbers.

Fifteen-year-old Steven Fuchs of Stony Brook, New York, springs into action twice in a single summer when he encounters people in mortal danger on Long Island Sound—first a family trapped on a burning boat, then the survivors of a crashed plane. For this young man, heroism is becoming second nature.

When enemy artillery devastates Company K's positions in Korea, destroying all communication to a critical outpost, Corporal Stanley T. Goldbloome volunteers for what seems like a suicide mission—running through no man's land with a radio to restore contact with headquarters. Facing a murderous barrage that knocks him off his feet, the courageous soldier pushes forward through the bombardment to deliver the equipment his unit desperately needs. This is the true story of a soldier's extraordinary bravery under impossible odds during the Korean War.