American heroes may come from widely diverse backgrounds and cultures, but they all share in common an intense loyalty and devotion to their country. This list features 11 famous (and sometimes surprising) American veterans of war.
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1. Crispus Attucks (1723?-1770) Crispus Attucks*, a leader of American colonists, was the first person killed by British soldiers in the Boston Massacre.
2. Molly Pitcher (1754-1832) Born Mary Ludwig, she became known as Molly Pitcher after carrying pitchers of water to her husband and other soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth in the American Revolution.
3. Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) This Mexican War hero, called "Old Rough and Ready" by his men, never lost a battle and later became the 12th president of the United States.
4. Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919) Theodore Roosevelt pulled together his cowboy and socialite friends to form the Rough Riders, a group of horse-riding volunteer soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American War.
5. Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) Like father, like son. General Douglas MacArthur commanded the Allied troops during World War II; his father, General Arthur MacArthur, was a hero of the American Civil War.
6. Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973) An internationally famous racecar driver who set a world record for speed driving, Eddie Rickenbacker was the leading American combat pilot during World War I.
7. Ernie Pyle (1900-1945) Ernie Pyle, who was known for his front-line reporting during World War II, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1944. A year later, he was killed near Okinawa, Japan.
8. Jimmy Stewart (1908-1997) American cinematic hero Jimmy Stewart served as a bomber pilot in World War II.
9. Joe Louis (1914-1981) Boxing Hall of Famer Joe Louis served in the Army during World War II and became a symbol for democracy after beating German boxer Max Schmeling in a one-round bout.
10. Ted Williams (1918-2002) Baseball great Ted Williams twice interrupted his career with the Boston Red Sox to serve as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps: once during World War II and then again during the Korean War.
11. Oliver Stone (1946- ) Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone enlisted in the U.S. Army and was wounded during the Vietnam War. Stone later created a trilogy of films about the Vietnam War: Platoon (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), and Heaven and Earth (1993).
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