Berkshire Patriots: Stories of Sacrifice takes readers on a thrilling journey across time, from the French and Indian War through the War in Afghanistan, to reveal how four centuries of conflict affected one close-knit region of the Berkshire Mountains. Men and women—some mere teens—valiantly served their country during its greatest times of need. Chapters feature a Medal-of-Honor winner from the Lost Battalion; a B-17 tail gunner with thirty-five perilous missions; an enslaved militiaman; one of the famous “Code Girls”; a decorated Marine officer who survived the vicious battles of Peleliu and Okinawa and is now into his second century; and a Green Beret who fought alongside Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan. Each story is deeply personal, engaging, and inspiring. This pilgrimage follows veterans from early childhood through the maelstrom of war and back. Each story is carefully researched using primary sources, family testimony, and original photographs and documents. Towns small and large all across America have sent their best to defend this nation—and have for centuries. We don’t know all their stories, but these stories of sacrifice that we do know will win your heart.