Posted by
flagwaver on Monday, September 11, 2006 10:54:23 AM
In this culture of ours, we tend to devalue words by over usage. And one of the words that we have done this to is the word hero. Today I am going to give it back the value it deserves.
I am not going to tell you about some one that took a 'heroic' stand in a lawsuit, or was the 'hero' of the big game on Saturday or Sunday. I am going to put that title on people that actually deserve it.
Five years ago today we were attacked on our own soil by people that were bent on our destruction. They attempted to destroy our financial capital, to bring our military nerve center to its knees, and decapitate our national government. These men were bloodthirsty, cowardly murderers with no regard for human life, neither theirs nor ours. But on that blackest of days, there were heroes.
There were heroes that rushed into the World Trade Center towers, not knowing what awaited them; they only knew that their fellow citizens needed them. And so these heroes, wearing NYPD and FDNY uniforms plunged into a living Hades, asking no rewards; only seeking to do their best for their fellow men. That, my friends, is a hero.
There were heroes in the WTC that did what they could in the confusion to help those in need around them. These people did not think first of their own survival, but of the importance of getting everyone possible to safety. That is the definition of a hero.
There were the people at the Pentagon, both military and civilian, that led people out of the rubble to safety. And there were the firefighters, police, and first responders of all sorts that rushed to that horrific scene to give aid and comfort to the injured and frightened. And in the midst of all of these were men like Sen. John Warner of Virginia and SecDef Donald Rumsfeld, that were on the scene doing whatever was necessary to help. That is what heroism is.
And finally, there were the passengers and crew of United Flight 93. These people, upon hearing the news of the other flights that had been hijacked, decided that they had to resist their captors. Knowing that the odds were not good that they would ever go home again, these people decided to take action. And that action was not just an attempt to save themselves, they were attempting to save other innocents from the fate of those in Washington and New York. So these brave souls gave themselves in an effort to spare others the fate that was staring them in the face. That act of selflessness exemplifies what true heroism is.
So as we remember the tragedy of 9/11, let us not forget them; as we mourn those we lost, do not forget those that gave. Some gave their blood, some their sweat, all their tears, and many their very lives. Do not forget to honor them.
For they answer to one name for all time.
Hero.