New Heroic Comics #66

When a pleasure boat catches fire on the Connecticut River, former barnstormer and air corps instructor Ed Pease happens to be flying overhead—and his quick thinking and piloting skill prove crucial to saving three drowning passengers. With rough waters and exhausted swimmers struggling to stay afloat, Pease must land his seaplane in dangerous conditions to bring them to safety. A true-life drama of how experience and presence of mind can mean the difference between tragedy and rescue.

When young Chip Mansfield spots a toddler wandering into traffic on a busy Taunton street, he doesn't hesitate—he races into danger to scoop the child to safety before disaster strikes. This true-life story captures a moment of split-second bravery that saves a life and earns the gratitude of a grateful mother and the pride of his own family.

When two young residents of Worcester, Massachusetts, break through the ice on Middle River, bystanders can only watch in horror—until Robert P. Walsh, a nearby steelworker, ignores the danger and plunges into the freezing water to save them. In a desperate race against the numbing cold and cracking ice, Walsh pushes himself to his limits to pull both boys to safety.

William E. Conner, a Boy Scout from Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, hears a cry for help while swimming and must act fast when a boy begins to drown. Drawing on his Scout training in rescue and resuscitation, Bill races against time to reach the drowning swimmer before it's too late. His quick thinking and skill under pressure prove what it truly means to be a good scout.

When a young lumberjack named Fred M. Smith spots three boys in danger at a nearby log pond during his lunch break, he doesn't hesitate—he jumps in to pull them to safety, one by one. Exhausted and struggling to stay afloat himself, Fred is rescued by a passerby who witnessed his selfless act, leaving him to return to work the next day as humbly as if nothing had happened.

When his playmate Ginny tumbles into a water-filled ditch, three-year-old Mike Russ of Englewood, Colorado realizes she's in desperate trouble and does the only thing he can—he races to alert the adults around him, shouting for help until neighbors hear his urgent cries. In this true-life drama, a toddler's quick thinking and determination set off a desperate race against time to rescue his friend before the current carries her into a drainage pipe.

Mrs. Margaret L. Menzel, a traffic director at a Milwaukee school crossing, faces a split-second choice when a speeding car fails to stop and bears down on a young child crossing Highway 100. Without hesitation, she throws herself in front of the vehicle to push the boy to safety, willing to risk her own life to protect his. Her selfless act of courage shows why motorists must respect school zones and the dedicated workers who keep our children safe.

On Independence Day in Lewiston, Maine, fourteen-year-old William H. Lambert springs into action when a young boy tumbles into the water—pulling off a daring rescue that earns him recognition from the American Legion for extraordinary heroism. This true-life story celebrates the courage and quick thinking of an American youth who embodies the highest ideals of his generation.

A young boy's new bicycle ride turns perilous when he recklessly challenges other riders on a steep hill, forcing truck driver Emanuel Spinelli to make a split-second choice: risk his own life or risk hitting the child. Spinelli's desperate maneuver—deliberately crashing his truck into a guard rail to avoid the boy—sends the vehicle careening down an embankment toward the railroad tracks below, in this gripping true-life account of heroism under pressure.

A Philadelphia youngster falls into the water at Poplar Street Wharf while playing tag with friends, and fifteen-year-old Arnold J. Davis witnesses the desperate struggle. Without a second thought—winter coat and all—Davis plunges in to attempt a rescue of his drowning friend.

When Carol Ann Perry's family visits relatives in Firebaugh, the 8-year-old girl and her cousin venture near a forbidden irrigation canal—and in an instant, tragedy nearly strikes. Quick thinking and courage turn Carol Ann into a real-life hero as she fights to save her young cousin from the water. This true-life drama captures how a child's presence of mind can make all the difference.

A seaplane spirals out of control and crashes into the waters near Long Island, and Frank Sarnataro and his girlfriend Carmen witness the disaster firsthand while on a fishing trip. As the Coast Guard springs into action, Frank and Carmen spot survivors in the water and rush to help—but their rescue efforts will test their courage in the face of chaos and tragedy. This true-life drama captures a moment of heroism in the aftermath of catastrophe.

William Whitman, a Detroit man recovering from a recent heart attack, ignores his doctor's warnings when he hears screams from the water—three teenagers have capsized their rowboat in Anchor Bay. Racing to their rescue in his motorboat, Whitman pulls all three children to safety, but the strain on his weakened heart proves too much. This true-life story captures a moment of selfless courage in the face of impossible odds.

When a fishing boat capsizes, a 72-year-old blind man from Milwaukee faces an impossible choice: save himself or risk everything to rescue his drowning nephew. Drawing on strength and courage that age and blindness couldn't diminish, John Hill proves that true heroism knows no limits in this true-life account of survival against the odds.

When a carelessly discarded cigarette ignites her baby sister's blanket while Linda Lou Holt minds the carriage outside a grocery store, the nine-year-old from Pepperell, Massachusetts must think and act fast to prevent disaster. With quick thinking and brave action, Linda Lou proves herself capable far beyond her years—though not without cost to herself. This true-life story captures a moment of extraordinary heroism from an ordinary child facing an urgent crisis.

When a Brooklyn patrolman returning from duty spots smoke and learns a mother and her two children are trapped on the top floor of a burning building, he makes repeated daring attempts to reach them through the choking flames. "Braves Brooklyn Blaze" tells the true story of Patrolman Joseph Schilling's heroic rescue on Wythe Avenue, a drama of quick thinking and sheer determination in the face of impossible odds.

When three boys playing near railroad tracks in Boston encounter a serious accident, two of them—Ronald D'Onofrio and Armand Boutte—must act quickly to prevent tragedy as an oncoming train approaches. Racing against time, the young friends work together to alert the train operator and get their injured playmate to safety. A harrowing true-life reminder that quick thinking and cooperation can mean the difference between life and death.

When a neighbor's young daughter begins choking on a broken sucker stick, Kenneth Covey, a fourteen-year-old from La Crosse, Wisconsin, springs into action—his smaller fingers prove small enough to reach where an adult's cannot. This true-life story chronicles a moment when quick thinking and courage in the face of a medical emergency make all the difference.

When a young fisherman named Teddy's rowboat breaks free from its anchor on Michigan's Grand River, he finds himself drifting downstream unable to swim—but his quick-thinking brothers David and Leon race to intercept him at the bend with nothing but a clothesline and a shoe. This true-life rescue hinges on a desperate throw and the courage of two boys working against the clock to save their brother from the current.

When children playing war games in a vacant lot uncover a hidden gasoline can and accidentally ignite it, thirty-three-year-old Patrolman Frank Bernhard spots the danger and springs into action to save a boy caught in the flames. This 1951 true-life drama captures the split-second heroism of an alert officer who risks his own safety to pull a child from the fire.