On September 11th, I was reminded of the great sacrifices others have made for my freedom. Being asked to speak at an event was a great honor, not considering myself heroic by any stretch of the imagination.
I got to thinking… What makes someone a hero? What is a hero? How do you identify a hero? And let’s not confuse Heroism with Bravery!!!! Some say a hero is born and not made. I say a HERO is made, by the examples they see and touch them throughout their lives.
A hero is not someone with extra human strength or special abilities. A hero, in the simplest form, is someone who puts others before themselves. NO MATTER WHAT THE RISK!!! Or NOTORIETY. Or personal gain.
To steal a phrase from a “geeky” movie, when “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one”. That is the thought process of a HERO.
Most people think of the superhero, the knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel, or the soldier overseas. I want to bring it closer to home as well. Not a larger than life person. Some want to go right to a mother or a father (parental love is very strong). Who comes to mind, for me?? Teachers, public safety officials, healthcare personal, fire fighter, police, military service personnel, hard working and under-appreciated frontline workers.
Community leaders who also make great sacrifices of time and family for the greater good of the community as a whole. People who make this community, city, state, country, and world… a place you want to be part of. What’s the motive?? Fame, fortune (HA!) How about to simply help society and others!
Not only the war heroes but their parents, spouses, children, brothers and sisters who in an act of selflessness bid their loved ones goodbye never really knowing if they will ever see them again BUT understanding it’s for the greater good and safety of US all. And ALL of us owe them honor and gratitude.
When you think of those who sacrifice for the greater good who do YOU think of!?!?!?
Abraham Lincoln…fought slavery… Roosevelt, Truman…dropped the bomb to stop the war… John Kennedy…the Bay of Pigs…
Who comes to mind, for me….. Rosa Parks…standing for others… Martin Luther King… Civil rights… Ronald Reagan .. “tear down this wall..”… Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi
Those are among the many big ones!
What about the ones around us the everyday, but not ordinary, Heroes…
A few days ago this country will mark what is considered one of our darkest hours next to Pearl Harbor. In that dark hour, we should look at the light that overcomes the darkness… THOSE HEROES… men and women that ran toward when others ran away…
Inside the World Trade Center, there are many hero stories. One man who could have saved himself but stayed until the end at the side of his quadriplegic friend. A beloved priest died giving the last rites to a firefighter. Two office workers, finding a disabled stranger, carried her down 68 floors to safety… these are true heroes.
To the group of moms and dads who get up early on Saturday morning to go out and fix the sports fields their kids play on so that ALL the children can be safe…
And to the parents that spend the time with their children involved and active in their lives even at the LOUD objections of that child for their greater good…
Locally… the police and firefighters who put their lives on the line every day to protect people they don’t even know, a youth counselor staying with a child in crisis averting a possible suicide, the men and woman who deliver meals to the elderly… These are true heroes too.
Heroes come in many shapes and sizes, colors, races, religion.
I salute all of you today! Thank you for your service!
I pray daily for your safety and that God’s angels would be camped around and about to protect and keep you, and that He comfort and bless you and your families for the daily sacrifice you make…
Thank you for your service and I thank all of you for your time. Republican, Democrat, Independent, AMERICANS alike…
