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Heroes of War
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While each serviceman and woman knows they risk their lives in battle, in every war there are acts of extraordinary courage where an individual, military or civilian, goes beyond what is expected to avert conflict, save lives or otherwise achieve an extraordinary mission. This special section highlights the acts of a few of those individuals who -- through feats of courage, nobility of purpose or life-risking situations -- have become "Heroes of War."
Pfc. Lori Piestewa
      AGE: 23
UNIT: 507th Army Maintenance Unit, a unit assigned to 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade
HOMETOWN: Tuba City, Arizona
FAMILY: Son, Brandon, 4; daughter, Carla, 3; mother, Terry; father, Percy
DETAILS: When her unit was ambushed in Iraq, this mother of two and American Indian soldier fought back, a congressman said. She was buried April 12 in the Hopi Reservation. More »
Sgt. Gary Hughes
      AGE: 27
UNIT: Army Physical Training Corps, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
HOMETOWN: Birmingham, England
FAMILY: Mother, Kate Boland; father, Michael John; son, Cavan
DETAILS:Sgt. Hughes took a break from war to carry a pregnant Iraqi woman to the hospital so she could give birth. More »
Lt. Col. Chris Hughes
      AGE: 42
UNIT: 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
HOMETOWN: Red Oak, Iowa
FAMILY: Wife, Marguerite, and three children
DETAILS: When Iraqis misunderstood his soldiers' mission, this colonel urged his infantry to back off to keep from making enemies of civilians. More »
Pvt. Nolen Ryan Hutchings
      AGE: 20
UNIT: 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment
HOMETOWN: Boiling Springs, South Carolina
FAMILY: Parents, Carolyn and Larry Hutchings, a sister and two brothers
DETAILS: Despite brushes with the law, Hutchings was bettering his life by realizing his dream of becoming a Marine. But the young man was killed by friendly fire in Iraq. More »
Capt. Chris Carter
      AGE: 31
UNIT:Company A, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division
HOMETOWN: Watkinsville, Georgia
FAMILY: Parents, Michael and Shirley, and three sisters
DETAILS: Carter rescued an elderly woman who was trapped on a bridge during a firefight in a town south of Baghdad. More »
Sister Maryanne Pierre
      AGE: 58
AFFILIATION: Dominican Sisters
HOMETOWN: Baghdad, Iraq
DETAILS: This feisty nun kept the doors of her Baghdad hospital open despite the threat of looting and bombing. More »
Vatche Arslanian
      AGE: 48
AFFILIATION: International Committee of the Red Cross
HOMETOWN: Oromocto, New Brunswick
FAMILY: Mother, Chake, and sisters, Talin and Sylvie
DETAILS: Despite the risks, this Red Cross worker stayed in Baghdad to aid the needy. He was killed when he got caught in the crossfire. More »
Chaplain Lt. Col. Philip Briganti
      AGE: 56
UNIT: Ft. Bliss Office of the Chief of Chaplains
HOMETOWN: Paterson, New Jersey
DETAILS: This Army chaplain comforted families of fallen soldiers and prayed with relatives of the POWs. More »
Shatha Besarani
      AGE: 39
HOMETOWN: London
FAMILY: Husband, Kawa, 50; daughters, Kanar, 14, and Tara, 12; and son, Miran, 6
DETAILS: Iraqi exile offers solace to women from afar. More »
Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez
      AGE: 22
UNIT: 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, California
FAMILY: Foster parents Marcelo and Nora Mosquera and sister Engracia Sirin Gutierrez
DETAILS: Guatemalan street orphan who immigrated to Southern California and was one of the first U.S. soldiers killed in combat in Iraq. More »
Ibrahim Younis and Francois Calas
      AGES: 31 and 44
AFFILIATION: Doctors Without Borders volunteers
DETAILS: Doctors Without Borders refused to leave Iraq during the war -- even as the Iraqi regime took two of the group's volunteers prisoner, accusing them of being spies. More »
Maj. Hal Sellers
      AGE: 37
UNIT: Marine's 3rd Light Armored Reconaissance Batallion
HOMETOWN: Twentynine Palms, California
FAMILY: Dillon, 6 months old, Erik, 6, and Alex, 8
DETAILS: Even though his newborn was waiting for a heart transplant, Maj. Hal Sellers opted to serve his country in the war. More »
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