Beyond the Call of Duty: The Life of Colonel Robert Howard, America's Most Decorated Green Beret

American War Heroes

By: Stephen L. Moore

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

As a child, Robert Howard was taught by his Granny Callie to always face his threats head-on. Some thirty years later, he emerged from the Vietnam War as America’s most decorated Green Beret.

For the first time, Robert Howard’s story is being told in full. Respected military historian Stephen L. Moore takes readers into the heart of the Vietnam War's covert Special Ops jungle warfare in this immersive, suspenseful read. Through family sources, National Archives documents, and dozens of testimonials from the Green Berets who fought alongside him, this “one-man army” will finally be given the recognition he deserves.

Robert Howard grew up in poverty in a small town in Alabama, with a strong sense of faith and determination. When he enlisted in the army at age seventeen, his Granny Callie’s words echoed in his head, and he pledged to follow them to the bitter end. In the most dire of combat experiences, Howard ran directly toward his opponents, sacrificing his body to protect others and to complete the mission above all else. Time and time again, he survived battles that should have claimed his life, suffering countless bullets, a spinal injury, and shrapnel and blast wounds. Recon commanders who ran missions with him declared him to be the bravest man they had ever met.

In return, Howard received a staggering number of awards and ribbons for valor and distinctive service in combat—over fifty in all, including the Medal of Honor, eight Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, and four Bronze Stars. He holds the distinction of being the only soldier nominated for the Medal of Honor three times in only a thirteen-month period. In total, Howard spent a grueling, treacherous forty months in combat duty in Vietnam, including over two years with MACV-SOG’s elite covert group.

©2024 Stephen L. Moore (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A long-awaited biography of the most decorated Special Forces soldier of all time. SFC Robert Howard's exploits are unique and legendary, and almost mythical, but this was a soldier’s soldier.”
—Master Sergeant Jack Crossman, US Army (Ret.)

“Bob Howard was idolized by every recon man at FOB-2, so I give great credit to Stephen Moore for this fine memorial to the most valiant man I ever met. I’m especially grateful for the comprehensive action-packed battle accounts.”
—Lieutenant Colonel Ed Wolcoff, MACV-SOG team leader and author of Special Reconnaissance and Advanced Small Unit Patrolling

“At last, we now have a solid book about the tours of one of the most heroic SOG warriors of the Vietnam War.”
—John Stryker Meyer, MACV-SOG team leader and author of Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam

“What makes this book so inviting is the amount of detail Moore offers through an incredible amount of research and a seasoned approach to storytelling... Moore’s chronicle depicts Howard’s odyssey in such detail that the reader experiences first-hand the extraordinary accomplishments of this great American hero.”
—Booklist