Heroes and Stories of Bravery

Join us in celebrating everyday heroes who risk their lives to help others and whose selfless acts and stories of bravery are sure to inspire.

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Inspiring Stories

Our everyday heroes risk their own lives to help people in trouble. They know that doing right by others is more rewarding than a big paycheck, and they do it without expectation of accolades or even a thank-you. That's part of what makes them so inspiring.

Meet Our Heroes

  1. July: Condor Rescue
  2. June: Roadside Inferno
  3. May: In the Nick of Time
  4. April: Heroic Child

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Flight from the Fire: A Dramatic Condor Rescue
Must Read Flight from the Fire: A Dramatic Condor Rescue

The forest was ablaze and eight rare condors were trapped. Joe Burnett led the team to save their lives.

Heroes: Roadside Inferno
Must Read Heroes: Roadside Inferno

The big rig was about to explode and the driver's legs were engulfed in flames. The Coopers came to the rescue.

Heroes: In the Nick of Time
Must Read Heroes: In the Nick of Time

When his father got pinned under the family car, this pre-teen didn't think twice about jumping in a forklift and getting the car off his dad--saving his life.

Our Hero of the Year 2008
Our Hero of the Year 2008

You voted, and Iraq war veteran Greg Gadson is the Reader's Digest 2008 Hero of the Year.

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  • 111-year-old Survivor of Floodwaters Saves Her Family
    As Maddie McRae struggled to reach the shore after an icy plunge, she had only one thought: "I Have to Save My Family--Now."
  • 2How 7 People Found Hope and Refuge in America
    They fled in the dark, hid in black holes, and ran from bullets. Seven remarkable men and women tell how Nazis, Pol Pot, and the monsters of Darfur could not keep them from freedom.
  • 3How You Can Help Wounded Veterans
    Want to help heroes and their families get the housing they need? Check out these organizations.
  • 4Dr. Rick Hodes Helps the Children of Ethiopia
    Dr. Rick Hodes has devoted his life to helping Ethiopia's most desperate kids-including the five he adopted. His philosophy is simple: "Don't Say No"
  • 5Help for Ethiopia's Children
    Watch a slide show of Dr. Rick Hodes in action and learn how to support his work.
  • 62008 Hero of the Year
    In 2008, Reader's Digest celebrated 13 ordinary citizens who unexpectedly found themselves confronted with desperate situations--and acted. Their stories are told here. You let us know who inspires you the most by voting in our Hero of the Year poll, and here are the nominees.
  • 7The Searcher: James Spring
    James Spring went looking for adventure. What he found: two little girls caught in a fractured family saga.
  • 8Heroes: Close Call in a Hotel Fire
    In the chaos of a late-night fire, three students on spring break risked their lives to save others.
  • 9Heroes of China's Earthquake
    On May 12, a major earthquake jolted southwestern China's Sichuan Province. Located 100 kilometers from the earthquake’s epicenter, Juyuan Middle School collapsed immediately in its wake. See the school’s survivors and the heroes who risked everything to save them.

    To learn more and donate, visit the American Red Cross.

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This year, Reader's Digest celebrated 13 ordinary citizens who unexpectedly found themselves confronted with desperate situations--and acted. Read their stories in the Hero of the Year 2008 slideshow. Let us know who inspires you the most.


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