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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As we wrote last May, Gadson was a natural leader as a lieutenant colonel in the Army. But it's what he has accomplished off the battlefield that has moved so many. After losing his legs following a roadside bombing in Baghdad, Gadson faced his rehabilitation with the positive attitude that helped inspire the New York Giants to turn their luck around on the field. "It's not about what happens to you in life. It's about what you do about it," Gadson told the team in an unscripted locker-room chat. His words motivated the struggling team to an unexpected win over the Redskins the next day. Gadson helped keep the team focused all the way to their 2008 Super Bowl victory. To them, and to others, Gadson is proof that nothing can sideline a powerful spirit.

From Reader's Digest - April 2009

 

• Heroes
• • Hero of the Year

• Heroes: Most Valuable Player
• How an injured Iraq war veteran led the New York Giants to a Super Bowl victory without ever setting foot on the field. He was voted as 2008 Hero of the Year.
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• A Heroic Search and Rescue
• Lykesia Lilly had never been a daredevil. But when it came to saving her nephew, she was braver than she knew.
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• 11-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."
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