Historical War Heroes You'd Want On Your Side

Even during the darkest days of armed combat, some people become heroes. Whether fighting on

the front lines, volunteering in hospitals, or making the ultimate sacrifice to save others

these heroes come from all walks of life and inspire those around them with their noble and

often badass deeds. So, today, we're talking about historical war heroes you'd want on your side

Alright, Hogan, let's meet your heroes. Civilians, not just military members, play a necessary role in war

One such honorable civilian, René Lemaire, demonstrated incredible bravery during World War II

In December of 1944, René visited her parents in Bastogne, Belgium. She was already working tirelessly as a nurse, saving countless Allied servicemen who came under her care

But German forces bombed the field hospital where Lemaire was working on Christmas Eve like a bunch of damn Nazis

Stories say she managed to evacuate six soldiers from the area, but perished while trying to evacuate a seventh during what would later be called the Battle of the Bulge

She is now remembered for her deeds during the war, becoming known as the Angel of Bastogne

The Korean War was a destructive and deadly conflict, lasting three agonizing years

But it had no shortage of courageous soldiers. Soldiers like Anthony T. Kaho Ohano-Hano

Although Hawaii was not yet a state, hey, we did a whole episode about that

The Maui natives signed up to fight for the U.S. in the war effort anyway

showing valor on the front lines. During the 1951 Battle of Chupari, he ordered his men to fall back and forged ahead on his own

Gathering ammo and grenades, he fought back hard against North Korean soldiers

resorting to hand-to-hand combat and even using a shovel as a weapon Minecraft style

In the end, he took out at least 13 soldiers before perishing himself

Kaho Ohano Ohano received the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. Several decades later, President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to his siblings to ensure his legacy is remembered

Joining the army when he came of age, Henry Johnson performed stunning acts of heroism during World War I

On the night of May 15, 1918, he defended his comrades from oncoming German forces

When he ran out of ammo, he punched, kicked, and used the butt of his rifle as a club

His efforts prevented the Germans from approaching France's line and made him one of the first Americans to earn France's distinguished Croix de Guerre award

Johnson later became known as Black Death and while he always rejected the notion that he was a hero President Theodore Roosevelt sang his praises calling him one of the bravest Americans to serve in the war And when Teddy says something like that you know you did some wild stuff on the battlefield

Sadly, the widespread racism of the time prevented Johnson from receiving benefits and compensation

for his deeds. Pain from his battle wounds resulted in disability and difficulty keeping

a job, and he died alone in 1929 at the age of 36. Almost 100 years after his efforts

President Barack Obama recommended him for the Medal of Honor, stating, The least we can do is to say

We know who you are. We know what you did for us. We are forever grateful

Carrying a weapon onto the battlefield has helped many people become heroes, but those who avoid weapons can be heroes too

Take the case of Desmond Doss. A corporal in the U.S. Army, Doss holds the honor of being the first person to earn a Medal of Honor as a conscientious objector

As a Seventh-day Adventist, his faith precluded him from participating in armed conflict

Despite this, he forged ahead through basic training and was ridiculed by his fellow soldiers

Undeterred, Doss became a medic who would prove his valor during World War II

On May 5, 1945, after fighting became so intense that all men were ordered to retreat

Doss stayed behind, rescuing 75 injured men trapped at the top of an escarpment

On May 21st, he was injured by grenade fragments, but still put the treatment of others above his own until being evacuated later that month

Alvin York first tried to avoid enlisting in the military due to religious reasons, but eventually he became one of the Army's most celebrated soldiers of World War I

His sharpshooter skills were invaluable, and he captured more than 100 German soldiers during his combat tour

earning the Medal of Honor, among other awards. After returning to the U.S., he allowed Hollywood to tell his life story in the 1941 film Sergeant York

directed by Howard Hawks and starring Gary Cooper. Cooper won the Oscar for his performance, and York got the funding for a school he wanted to build

That's a win-win for everyone. Audie Murphy lied about his age so he could enlist in the army after Pearl Harbor

During the war, he rose to the rank of lieutenant, took out over 200 German soldiers

and won 33 awards for bravery. Those are call-of-duty numbers. In January 1945

he single-handedly held off a German assault at Holtzweer, receiving the Medal of Honor for his

actions. When asked why he did it, he simply replied, they were killing my friends. Huh

After the war Murphy became a celebrity starring in dozens of western films between 1948 and 1969 like Gunsmoke and The Wild and the Innocent He even played himself in his own biopic To Hell and Back Later he found some

success as a country singer. Tragically, his life was cut short when he died in a plane crash in 1971

at only 45 years old. The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most important battles of the Civil

war, tipping the scales in the Union's favor. During that fight, Union soldier Strong Vincent

led troops to a hill known as Little Round Top. Though he was a lawyer before the war

presumably practicing under the name Eloquent Vincent, he quickly learned how to be an efficient

and courageous military leader. During the fight, he sensed the right flank of his brigade failing

so he jumped onto a rock and told his men, don't give an inch! His bravery helped his men fight on

but he was shot in the process. As he stood on the rock, he was heard to remark

This is the fourth or fifth time they have shot at me and they have hit me at last

See, he was so hardcore he lost count. He succumbed to his injuries several days later and was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General for his efforts

The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 will go down as a day that will live in infamy

but history often glosses over individual actions. On the morning of December 7th, Doris Dorey Miller was collecting laundry after serving breakfast

As a cook and mess hall attendant, he was usually working below decks. But when the Japanese attacked, Miller sprang into action

He dropped what he was doing and helped move wounded soldiers away from the main deck. Afterward, he headed straight for an unattended deck gun

Despite having no training whatsoever, he took control of the gun and began blasting Japanese planes

According to witnesses and contemporary reports, he shot down anywhere from two to five planes that day

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Miller continued his career in the Navy as a mess hall attendant

venturing out onto the aircraft carrier Liscombe Bay. Sadly, Miller perished aboard the Liscombe Bay when it was torpedoed in 1943

but his actions were never forgotten. Miller became the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross

and the second ship to bear his name is scheduled to launch in 2029

During the Vietnam War, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral James Stockdale was shot down over North Vietnam

He ejected from his plane over a small village, but was captured and sent to Hoa Lo Prison

The prison, also known by its macabre nickname, the Hanoi Hilton, was infamous for its brutality

Stockdale spent eight years there as a POW, where he was regularly tormented

spending two years in leg irons and four years in solitary confinement But he still refused to provide information remaining uncooperative and defiant Stockdale and other POWs were released as part of

1973's Operation Homecoming. For his valor, Stockdale was awarded the Medal of Honor. He

later explained to the Academy of Achievement how he and his comrades managed to survive

Quote, We had a war to fight and were committed to fighting it from lonely concrete boxes

Our very fiber and sinew were the only weapons at our disposal. Each man's values from his own private sources provided the strength enabling him to maintain

his sense of purpose and dedication. They placed unity above self. Self-indulgence was a luxury that could not be afforded

Stockdale served in the Navy until his retirement in 1979. Then he went on to write several books, and his story would inspire a popular ethics class

at the Naval War College. General Paik Sun-yup was an important figure in the Korean War

during which the North Korean forces invaded and quickly overwhelmed South Korea

But thanks to Paik's actions at the Battle of Tabudong, South Korea was able to rebound

Despite suffering from malaria, Paik stayed with his men on the front lines

even ordering them to shoot him if he tried to retreat, like a hardcore episode of Undercover Boss

He successfully led his troops to a victory in one of the deadliest battles of the war

paving the way for General Douglas MacArthur's decisive Incheon campaign. Pike later became a diplomat, founding the Army Intelligence School and continuing to play an important role in South Korea's government until he passed away in 2020

Lyudmila Pavlichenko was born in 1916 in the Ukraine and became a fantastic sharpshooter at an early age

As a young girl, she studied history at Kiev University, but when Germany invaded the Soviet

Union in 1941, she set aside her studies and took her skills to the battlefield

She became an infamous sniper, claiming to have dispatched 309 enemy soldiers throughout the war

187 of those confirmed kills allegedly occurred at the Battle of Odessa

1-8-7. Bit on the nose. As the war raged on, she engaged in duels with German snipers and earned the nickname Lady Death

The Germans feared her so much, they even tried to get her to defect and switch sides like a pro wrestling heel

But they weren't successful, and Pavlichenko continued her sniping career until an injury caused her to be pulled from combat

She spent the rest of the war training other snipers in the way of the scope, and serving as a spokesperson for the Soviet Army

Sadly, she suffered from a number of issues, including PTSD and alcoholism, and succumbed to a stroke at age 58

Today, Pavlichenko remains one of World War II's most famous and celebrated figures