These men are a mix of professions, beliefs, and life circumstances. There's Ben in Virginia, father of four kids ages 7 and younger, who knocks himself out working six days a week for his family's construction company but nonetheless spends time in the evenings and on the weekends with his children. There's Andy, a chemist in Raleigh, N.C., who's divorced but delights in seeing his three daughters whenever possible. There's John in Texas, whose wife died in a car crash last winter and who now devotes every spare minute away from work to his teenagers still living at home.

We all know dads like these men—sons and grandsons, nephews, friends, and neighbors. They're the fathers who balance work time with kid time, who give their offspring the gift of security while teaching them to become independent, and who, if need be, would sacrifice their lives for them.