The Hero Next Door: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose

An inspiring portrait of the men and women who serve in our nation's military that captures their courage and profound sacrifice, by the Emmy Award-winning ABC News anchor, Martha Raddatz.

For twenty-five years Martha Raddatz has witnessed the grit and resilience of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have been fighting America's wars since 9/11. What motivates them to do such impossible things? How do they find the courage to put their lives on the line, or the strength to start over when things don't go as planned?

The Hero Next Door offers a dozen portraits of servicemen and women who are every bit as inspiring as those of the Greatest Generation. Every one of them has shown awe-inspiring strength of character, creativity, and drive, faced daunting odds, and come out stronger.

Take Kevin Shaeffer, a naval officer working at the Pentagon on 9/11, whose life-changing experience on that day fueled his determination to hunt down Osama bin Laden. Or Mark Little, who made it his mission, after an IED blew up his convoy in Iraq, to help veterans rebuild their lives when they were down. Or Josh Webster, who dangled by a rope under enemy fire to rescue a fallen officer in the mountains of Afghanistan. Or Rocco Armonda, a highly skilled surgeon who pioneered a new way of treating traumatic brain injury in Iraq. Or Danielle "Purple" Thiriot and Charles "Wingnut" Wickware, who, once they started flying, knew exactly what their mission was. Or Derek Herrera, who gives new meaning to transformative second acts.

Life can turn on a moment, and who's to say what we'll do? That, we learn, is when you spot the real heroes: when no one is watching. "Individually, their stories are deeply inspiring," Raddatz writes. "Together, they offer something beyond inspiration: insight into what it means to live with a life-defining courage and sense of purpose."

Author: Martha Raddatz
Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.29h x 6.20w x 1.24d
ISBN: 9781668093801


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2026

About the Author
Martha Raddatz has been covering America's wars for ABC since September 11, as chief global affairs correspondent and co-anchor of This Week. She is the author of The Long Road Home, a New York Times bestseller made into a National Geographic miniseries. Raddatz was part of the team that won a Peabody Award for coverage of September 11 and an Emmy for coverage of the killing of Osama bin Laden. She has won seven Emmys. She was also awarded the George C. Marshall Medal for sustained commitment to the men and women of America's armed forces.