The way I understand it, a hero is not a person with extraordinary powers or has no fear.
Quite the opposite actually.
To me, a hero is an ordinary person put into extraordinary circumstances. They may be scared to death, but they do what they have to because no one else will.
A firefighter doesn’t rush into a flaming building to rescue a child because they want to… they do it because they know they are that child’s only hope.
A police officer doesn’t just get into a shootout with the dregs of society just for the hell of it… that officer puts his life on the line so that others can sleep safely at night.
To hear someone refer to the rising death toll in Iraq and consider it a “small price to pay”, makes me sick to my stomach. With each soldier that dies, that’s one less father coming home to see their daughter grow up. That’s one less niece coming to the next family reunion. That’s one less friend someone has to hang out with.
They may just be a number to some detatched, brainwashed moron…
But to someone out there, that person was someone’s whole world.
They’re heroes.
They donned a uniform, served this country and did something so few Americans are willing to do. They’ve found themselves in uncomfortable positions, constant fear and uncertainty, stayed awake long periods of time, looked death right in the face repeatedly, went hungry and many died a slow agonizing death far away from those they loved.
You can tell the “small price to pay” crowd doesn’t seem to have any emotional investment over there other than their rhetoric… nor do they have the first friggin clue what someone in combat goes through.
I choose to honor each one of these fallen as the heroes they were, and want to remember as many of them as I can…
Someone recently had the audacity to accuse me of not being willing to fight for my freedom.
Obviously this is someone who hasn’t known me for long, have they? :0)
Eric Brooks
Musician, Programmer, Graphic Designer, Evil Clown - A thorn in the Internet's side since 1997 with no intention of stopping any time soon.
Follow Me:
Where have all the commentors gone?
I don’t have the first friggin’ clue what someone in combat goes through because I’ve never been in combat but that doesn’t mean I can’t try to imagine it. Whenever I think about it, my first thought is always how afraid they must’ve been *all the time*, and how overwhelming it had to be. My second thought is how thankful I am to them for having been brave enough to face that fear so that I can enjoy the freedoms that I have.
“Obviously this is someone who hasn’t known me for long, have they?”
Nope. 🙂
“Where have all the commentors gone?”
I would imagine all making plans for the summer. Work has been totally kicking my ass, I haven’t found any time to surf and visit other people… so I can imagine that and my lack of posting is slowing the traffic down. I can’t blame anyone for that.
“I would imagine all making plans for the summer.”
Yes, there is that. Just because I don’t have a life, doesn’t mean other people don’t.:)
Email is forthcoming…..probably tomorrow. I’m dead on my feet….