The back cover the Middleton’s second book, on firefighers notes, “Since
September 11, 2001, the nation's firefighters have been lauded for their courage and selflessness, yet many of their tales
remain untold. Medal of Valor Firefighters recounts numerous stories of grace under fire in the words of decorated heroes
themselves.”
The book includes true stories such as:
•
San
Francisco: Beneath a house toppled by the earthquake of 1989, firefighter Gerald Shannon uses a chainsaw
to cut his way through a maze of burning rubble and volatile gas lines to rescue a trapped woman.
•
Brooklyn: With his faceplate melting and helmet blistering, Captain John Pritchard
finds a child in a burning bedroom and grasps her plastic crib--which melts at his touch and cascades down around his arm.
•
Atlanta: Dangling under a helicopter on a one-inch nylon rope, firefighter Matthew Moseley performs a daring rescue
of a man stranded 225 feet above a burning mill on a crane so hot it has melted the soles of his shoes.
