Fallen Heroes Live On

Fallen Heroes Live On

By Leslie Happ

06.16.11

When Rebecca Pepin became an U.S. citizen a few years ago, she took to heart the judge’s exhortation at the swearing-in ceremony to always remember that we have an “obligation that accompanies the honor of becoming an American.” She made a silent pledge then and there: to complete a book project and donate every penny of the proceeds to help U.S. service men and women.

A three-and-a-half-year labor of love—and heartache—Faces of Freedom: Profiles of America’s Fallen Heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan is Pepin’s tribute to every service member who has made the ultimate sacrifice. In 234 pages, all written by volunteers, the book profiles 52 fallen heroes—one from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Ask Pepin how the project affected her and she pauses and sighs deeply. “My baby son is named after Ryan McGlothlin, the Virginia hero in the book. I became so close to his family. He is a true American hero. I admire everything about that young man,” she says. “I feel the loss of each of these men and women even though I never met them.”

So far, nearly 18,000 copies of the book have sold, but printing costs and retail commissions offset most of those sales. The remaining 5,000 books represent profits—all of which are to be split between Fisher House Foundation and Wounded Warrior Project.

Despite the demands of a new baby and her job as co-anchor of Fox News in Bristol, Va., Pepin is working hard to sell the remaining copies—going to speaking engagements, giving interviews, sending out press releases. She’s hoping to find companies that might buy large quantities of books to use as gifts or donate to libraries.

Pepin realizes the book can be difficult to read. “Even if you can’t take the stories, emotionally,” she says, “it’s important to have it on your coffee table, to remind yourself every day when you walk past it, that these people have given their lives. Even if you don’t want to face the sadness, remember what the families are going through.”

Barbara McDonald, a reader who reviewed the book on Amazon.com, wrote, “It is a book you will have to put down from time to time, just to stop your heart from breaking….It hurts and at the same time you feel your heart swell up with pride.”

Pepin has heard from the families of many of the heroes featured in the book. “The mothers and fathers, husbands and wives  have loved it,” says Pepin. “They are so grateful—it’s not that they want to be recognized; all they want is just that their sons and daughters are not forgotten.”

Individual copies of the book may be purchased at retail outlets and directly from the printer at http://www.wentworthprinting.com/facesoffreedom or (803) 796-9990 (the latter maximizes proceeds to Fisher House Foundation and Wounded Warrior Project). People interested in bulk sales should contact Pepin directly at beccapepin@yahoo.com or rpepin@foxtricities.com.