What Does Valor Mean?
Valor is courage in the face of danger. Across American history, it has taken many forms, from standing up to tyranny to risking one’s life to help another person.
That history stretches from the Mayflower to Afghanistan. Again and again, Americans have faced threats abroad and responded with resolve, whether confronting communism or coming together after a terrorist attack at home.
Joshua Chamberlain was a bookish professor from Maine before the Civil War turned him into a battlefield leader. At Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg, his courage helped shape the course of the fighting.
Harry Stewart, a young Black New Yorker, dreamed of flying in World War II. His path took him to Tuskegee, Alabama. As his train traveled into the Jim Crow South, he was segregated from other passengers in the dining car. He kept his focus on becoming a pilot.
Overseas, Stewart felt deep pride as he flew with his squadron, supporting the fight against Hitler and the liberation of Europe. He became a decorated airman, shooting down three German fighters in a single day.
Patrick Brady’s childhood was troubled, but during the Vietnam War he became known for refusing to leave people behind. In his Huey helicopter, he flew through fog and darkness to rescue soldiers, civilians and even enemy combatants. He completed about 5,000 rescue missions, crediting his eyesight and his faith for helping him find a way through the night.
On September 11, 2001, Welles Crowther, an equities trader and volunteer firefighter, was on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower. After a plane struck the building, he searched the smoke-filled Sky Lobby and found a stairwell that survivors could use to escape.
“If you can stand up, stand up. If you can help someone else, help them, and follow me. There is a way!” he urged them.
These Americans knew fear. Some doubted themselves, too. Yet they found the strength to act when others needed them. Mother Cabrini, moving through dangerous streets to comfort immigrant children, put her faith this way: “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
Their stories are a reminder of the courage and compassion that have shaped the country. Veterans have urged Americans to remember those who fought beside them and never came home. Their example asks us to believe in the country’s goodness—and to keep working to protect its values.
Tomorrow’s heroes are already here: among us, in our families, and in the generations still to come. Their stories are about survival, courage and grace.
