True Comics #4

General George C. Marshall rose from a young man determined to join the Army despite a setback with West Point, training instead at Virginia Military Institute and earning the respect of his commanders through tactical brilliance. From a sham battle in the Philippines that caught the eye of superior officers to his steady advancement through postings across the nation and eventually to France in World War I, Marshall's career traces the making of a soldier whose clear thinking and unshakeable composure marked him as exceptional long before he would ascend to the Army's highest ranks. This biography celebrates the formative years and decisive moments that shaped the military mind that America would come to depend on.

Joe Crosson arrives in Alaska as a bold young aviator ready to prove himself, only to discover that the old-timers—dog team drivers whose livelihoods are being threatened by faster air transport—view him and his fellow pilots with open hostility. When tragedy strikes and heroic missions demand his skill and courage, Crosson faces a test far greater than Arctic wind and ice: whether his bravery can earn the respect of people who see aviation as the enemy.

A captivating showcase of athletic achievement across track and field, weightlifting, swimming, archery, auto racing, horse racing, and aviation, celebrating the world records set by champions like Jesse Owens, Fred Wolcott, Sydney Wooderson, and Johnny Weissmuller throughout the 1930s. From sprints to distance runs, jumps to hurdles, this collection highlights the remarkable feats that defined competitive sport in 1941.

When the American Revolution demands a unified symbol, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin collaborate on a design for the Continental Army, and later a needlewoman named Betsy Ross helps perfect the stars that would become the flag's most enduring feature. From the "Grand Union Flag" of 1775 through its first battles and into the evolving standards of later decades, this story traces how the Stars and Stripes took shape—and what that banner came to mean to a new nation. A vivid account of how one flag grew from wartime necessity into an American ideal.

During the War of 1812, a swift British clipper has seized thirty-three American merchant vessels trying to enter New York Harbor—until Lieutenant John Weatherby hatches a daring plan to turn the hunters into the hunted. With a cargo of ducks, a disguised sloop, and fifty armed men hidden below deck, Weatherby sets a trap that relies on cunning and split-second timing. The result is one of the war's most audacious naval captures, executed without a single shot fired.

Alexander Mackenzie was a fur trader with a dream: to find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. Though his first attempt down the river that would bear his name ended in disappointment at the Arctic Ocean, he refused to accept defeat, studying mathematics and navigation in England before organizing a second expedition overland. Facing treacherous rapids, dwindling supplies, and mutinous men, Mackenzie's courage and resourcefulness drove his party forward until they finally achieved what others only dreamed of—reaching the Pacific by land north of Mexico.

Captain John Charles Fremont, known as "the Pathfinder," led an expedition to Mexican-held California guided by his trusted friend Kit Carson, only to find Americans there facing harsh treatment and Mexican suspicion of his true intentions. When Lieutenant Gillespie arrives with word that the United States is at war with Mexico, Fremont joins American settlers in their bid to claim California for the Union, setting the stage for a pivotal struggle on the western frontier. This biography traces Fremont's journey from frontier explorer to governor and presidential candidate, showing how his determination helped bring California into the United States.