Fans of Stephen E. Ambrose's Band of Brothers will be drawn to this complex portrait of the controversial Ronald Speirs, an iconic commander of Easy Company during World War II, whose ferocious courage in three foreign conflicts was matched by his devotion to duty and the bittersweet passions of wartime romance.
His comrades called him "Killer." Of the elite paratroopers who served in the venerated "Band of Brothers" during World War II, none were more enigmatic than Ronald Speirs. Rumored to have gunned down enemy prisoners and even one of his own disobedient sergeants, Speirs' became a foxhole legend amongst his troops. But who was the real Lieutenant Speirs?
In Fierce Valor, historians Jared Frederick and Erik Dorr unveil the full story of Easy Company's longest-serving commander for the first time. Tested by trials of extreme training, military rivalry, and lost love, Speirs's international odyssey begins as an immigrant child in Prohibition-era Boston, continues through the bloody campaigns in France, Holland, and Germany, and sheds light on his lesser known exploits in Korea, the Cold War, and embattled Laos.
Packed with groundbreaking research, Fierce Valor unveils a compelling portrait of an officer defined by boldness on the battlefield and a telling reminder that few soldiers escape the power of their own pasts.
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Jared Frederick is the author of numerous books, including Hang Tough and Dispatches of D-Day. He has appeared on PBS, C-SPAN, and Turner Classic Movies. A former park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park, Frederick is the host of Reel History on YouTube and currently serves as an Instructor of History at Penn State Altoona. Visit jaredfrederick.com to learn more.