Here is a 1945 Collier’s Magazine article that reported on the brave and selfless acts of Robert D. Maxwell (1920 – 2019):
“COURAGE, like everything else, has its kinds of degrees. No one would detract a hair’s weight from the bravery of the firing line, but in battle there is the heartening touch of a comrade’s shoulder, the excitement of the charge, and the 50-50 chance of coming out alive. All these aids are lacking in those epic instances where men make death a deliberate choice…one example that stands out for sheer drama and sustained fortitude is that of Technician Fifth Grade Robert D. Maxwell, who covered a German hand grenade with his body, smothering the explosion that would have killed every member of his group.”
Maxwell survived his wounds; seven months later he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage. He died in 2019.
Read what the U.S. Army psychologists had to say about courage.
