ACADEMICS
SPOTLIGHT
Heroes
There can be no doubt in any mind that the United States have a history of heroes. From Nathan Hale’s “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country”, to six boys raising the stars and stripes atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, this nation has never seen a shortage of men and women who rise to the challenge of their day and give of themselves. No one will deny this. History is too strong a witness. But America’s heroes are not all in the past; there are still many American heroes today who, like those who have gone before them, count themselves of little value compared to their family, neighbors, and country. These everyday heroes are found all throughout America: in homes and workplaces, in churches and schools. They are ordinary people, and they are incredible people—and they are all around us.
The first place today’s American heroes are found is in the home. Every good father is a hero to his son. Every mother is a quiet hero to her children. Many parents sacrifice much of their energy, time, and money for their children, placing their interests ahead of their own, making their children the focus of their lives. Such self-less, loving, sacrificial parenting is true heroism, and it happens in millions of households across America, day after day. If any doubts that America still has heroes, let him look to the moms and dads of America. These are America’s finest heroes, and it is their legacy that will give rise to the next generation of heroes.
America’s heroes are not all found at home, however. Many are oversees, fighting in the War on Terror. These men and women, who daily give their lives for this nation, are true heroes. They give of their time with their families; they give of their safety; they sacrifice nearly all and sometimes more. They do not do it to be named heroes, but heroes they must yet be named. They are American soldiers. To them we owe a debt we can not repay.
Wherever Americans are found, a hero may be found as well. They permeate our schools in the form of both students and teachers. They are our firemen and policemen, men like those on September 11th, 2001, who, heedless of their own lives, rushed in death itself to save others. They are pastors, they are parents; they are grandmothers and grandfathers; they are our neighbors. Americans show heroism daily.
Though there are many who are not heroes, too often they are the only ones seen. People forget that for all the evil in this world, and in this nation, there is still much good. America still has heroes, and they are standing all around us. They stand in our midst, and they stand with rolled-up sleeves. Servant leaders, they are willing to dirty their hands for the good of others and for country. They look much like everyone else, and yet they are vastly different from everyone else, because they are real heroes, daring to forget themselves in view of their family and friends. Fathers and mothers, pilots and Marines, doctors and teachers; working men and women: these are America’s heroes, and they permeate our nation from sea to sea, daring others to follow in their brave footsteps. America still has heroes, as she always has—and with God’s blessing, always will.