After the Battle of Iwo Jima, Adm. Chester Nimitz declared that "uncommon valor was a common virtue."

Sixty years later, many American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are showing that same bravery in a different sort of war — one in which, unlike World War II, there are shadowy enemies and no front lines.

Day after day, they move among the chaos in Afghanistan or Iraq, trying to build bridges, to deliver supplies, to do as they have been asked to help build a stable society where there was none.

They move among the people, wanting to trust but knowing they cannot. They endure dust storms and boredom punctuated by moments of fury, and months of long, sleepless nights away from their loved ones.

Many have died or become maimed. And many, living and dead, have met the test of fear and violence with the uncommon valor of which Nimitz spoke.

In this special section, Stars and Stripes, the independent newspaper authorized by the Department of Defense, examines the nature of heroism and, specifically, the deeds that have earned medals of valor for the dozens of servicemembers profiled in these stories. Those included stand as surrogates for the thousands of others so recognized.

Stripes focused on the highest honors given for valor in a war zone, irrespective of rank. This section pays tribute to the warfighter.

These vignettes aim to delve below the surface of press releases and welcome-home parades to describe what earning a medal for valor is really like, and to honor the living and dead who earned them.