The most over used word right now in the English language. I’ll probably get a lot of hate remarks for this, but I think many people labelled hero’s should be labelled good Samaritans instead. Maybe I just have a higher standard then most when it comes to using that word. On any given day, I can read the paper and find two or more articles where people are being labeled a hero. Rescuing people from a burning car and endangering your own life – Hero. Pulling someone from a capsized boat onto your jet ski – more or less a good Samaritan.
I think if you’re going to be a hero you need to do something well above above ordinary, extra, extra-ordinary in fact. I got to visit one of my closest friends last week while in NC. This guy is a true hero. Former elite triathlete, with an IM win and some top 10’s at major international LC races during his career. He went back into the military to join the premier combat unit in the entire US Military, actually the premier unit of any military from any country. This is the unit the other Special Force type units wish they were. And no, he isn’t a SEAL, in fact, he would be rather insulted if you thought he was. No offense to the SEALs, they are BAMF’s. He just happens to be in the Alpha Dog unit among a pack of units that are the alpha dogs of their respective branches of the military. He is a been there done that got the scars and metal still embedded in his body to prove it hero.
4 purple hearts, 4 Bronze stars 2 of those with valor. One of those Bronze Stars was earned by carry wounded soldiers across 150m of open ground while being shot at to the casualty collection point. But he didn’t just do this one time during the firefight. He did it multiple times throughout that day. While there he assisted the medics who were being overwhelmed with casualties. Then he picked up his weapon, racked a round and went back into the fight. I think one trip across would be heroic, but to then run back, grab another wounded solider and run back across the enemy’s field of fire, only to turn around and do it again, well, quite frankly, that’s heroic. Or a total BABAMF (that would be a bad ass, bad ass MFer, one BA isn’t quite enough) if you’re going to use that labelling system.
He has rescued American hostages, been in charge of a team leading men into combat and in charge of preparing for combat other operators from all branches of the US as well as other countrys’ operators. That is heroic. Rescuing a cat from a tree, not so.
x2. It is sad that in our current culture, doing something that should be normal behavior for a good person is now elevated to being heroic. Now your friend that you described? He is most certainly a Hero.
Brian,
Sorry for not working things out for us to meet while you were in NC. As for the “hero” blog. I think you are painting what is a hero with a very thin brush. To be classified as a hero is really a matter of interpretation. Those that you described “….pulled from a burning car; rescued from a capsized boat…” would arguably disagree with you as to whether their savior was a hero or not. Those individuals definately did more than an act of being a good samaritan.A good samaritan helps the old lady cross the street or mows the neighbors yard because that person is sick. What your friend has done is definately above and beyond for most of us, but he was doing his job to the best of his ability. Is that really being a “hero”? I bet your friend doesn’t think so. See what I am getting at? It is a matter of perception. You know that not only am I a veteran of the Marine Corps but I am also a professional firefighter. Have I saved lives? sure. Have I assisted people at times when they have been what seemed to them their most terrible time? yes. I am not a hero…nor am I a good samaritan…only doing my job.