"Medal Of Honor: Portraits Of Valor" Tells Incredible Stories Of Military Bravery (PHOTOS)

A new edition has just been published of the book "Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty" (Artisan, $45.)

Containing letters from all the living presidents of America, and a foreword by NBC broadcaster Brian Williams, the book is a moving series of photographs and stories from 144 soldiers who have received our nation's highest military honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States."

A total of 3475 medals have so far been awarded since it was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861; 627 medals have been awarded posthumously.

Half of the book's royalties benefit the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.

You can see some of the stories, as told by the soldiers themselves, on the book's YouTube channel. Click the slideshow below to read some of the remarkable stories of bravery in the face of death, edited from the book's content.