Constance Hopkins is a moody teenager dragged from her beloved London in 1620 to embark on a dangerous two-month voyage aboard a modest ship called the Mayflower, risking life and limb to settle in the New World where she imagines “savages and wild animals lying in wait for us.”
William Dawes Jr. has a bone to pick with the great poet Longfellow for omitting his rightful place alongside Paul Revere and the other Midnight Riders in the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” lamenting “history’s amnesia due to an unpoetic name.”
George Shannon is the youngest member of Lewis and Clark’s thrilling 8,000-mile expedition, joining the historic two-year journey through the American frontier at just 17, and getting lost not once, but twice — leaving him humiliated in front of Sacagawea.
These are only a few of the unsung heroes mingling alongside celebrated figures in “The Book of Valor: America’s Story of Survival, Gallantry & Grace,” Martha MacCallum’s new book that tells the story of our country through the first-person “voices” of 12 men and women of great daring.
The Fox News anchor’s sweet spot has been highlighting the Greatest Generation, having written about the heroes from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima in her first book, “Unknown Valor.”
Now, she traces nearly 400 years of fearlessness.
It’s a celebration of the courage, sacrifice and resilience of those who helped shape America — more illuminating and entertaining than any history book we skimmed through in high school.
“I feel like every American needs a refresher on some of these stories, especially when the country is in a very difficult and divisive place,” MacCallum told The Post, noting the ubiquitous tension that transcends party. “I hope these stories will remind all of us from whom we came and the stuff that we’re made of, regardless of party.”
The more we understand our glorious and gritty history, the deeper we can appreciate the country and the sacrifices to preserve our values, said MacCallum. “These stories make me more proud to be an American.”
From our plucky pilgrim heritage to the underdog heroes of World War II to a selfless 24-year-old hero who always carried his trusty red bandana to his big finance job on the 104th story of the WTC South Tower, these figures define the American spirit.
No need to fret that the best days of this country are behind us, according to MacCallum, who highlights “the thread of humanity, courage and valor that exists in people who did not expect themselves to become heroes.
“And that it is possible for anyone, no matter what adversity you face.”
Gen. Patrick Henry Brady, now 90, is the embodiment of that message.
The Medal of Honor recipient and Vietnam War helicopter pilot repeatedly risked his life under enemy fire to rescue some 5,000 people, enemy fighters and civilians alike, answering the call to save anyone in need, regardless of the danger.
But he was also kicked out of his house when he was 13.
After getting booted again, this time from the ROTC, he straightened out his act and went on to watch the construction of the Berlin Wall, dividing the city into the Communist-controlled East and the Democratic West.
It opened his eyes to the world’s evils.
For the humble heroes in the book, courage is a curious thing.
For some, fear can serve as rocket fuel. Matt Williams, the Green Beret whose extraordinary heroism during a fierce battle in Afghanistan earned him the Medal of Honor, says it’s simple: “Fear is interesting. It can paralyze you or it can fuel you through circumstances.”
But for others, there is something more powerful than fear: faith.
For Brady, “faith was a substitute for fear. It allowed me to do things that for me would have otherwise been impossible.”
Faith is a motif binding several of the volume’s fascinating historical figures.
Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was the personification of unwavering faith. The Italian immigrant and Catholic nun was sent by the pope to transform the lives of impoverished immigrant families in the sea of humanity that was the Five Points of NYC in 1889.
At 4-foot-11, the pint-sized powerhouse dove into dark, dank basements and dens “that the police wouldn’t go into,” said MacCallum, noting her Mother Theresa essence with an unshakable will to wash and feed children. “You didn’t have to fear for yourself because you were doing something that is greater than you. You had your mission.”
These selfless and courageous figures prove that any of us — and our progeny — can also live life with valor, in ways big and small.
“The lesson of these very human men’s and women’s stories is that we all have the ability to become people of valor,” writes MacCallum, hopeful for the next generation’s valorous heroes. “Those who will act on behalf of something greater than themselves. Humanity. Our courageous, beautiful country. Love of one another. To the end.”
