Not every Soldier is a Hero. Where are the heroes of today? If you watch the news or TV, surf current events on the web, or listen to the radio you are bombarded by opinion editorials, news stories and even advertising saying the one place you can surely find heroes, or be one yourself, is in the United States Military. These messages intensify every Veterans Day, Memorial Day or 4th of July as politicians, news agencies, businesses, magazines and television go on and on about our military heroes. Is this true? Can you simply sign your name to a contract, don a uniform and instantly qualify as a hero? Steven Kinzer, writer for the Boston Globe, doesn’t think so, and I agree. Steven believes it’s time for us to start acting more selective …show more content…
We need to stop diluting certain definitions to make our country feel good about it self. Steven explains “One reason Americans have come to view soldiers as our only protectors is that we have accepted the idea that our country is under permanent threat from fanatics who want to kill us and destroy our way of life” (Kinzer). Furthermore, if we look back on history, we can see this was not always the case. Steven explains during other times of uncertainty, like during the Cold War or Vietnam War, the people felt differently towards the soldiers. (Kinzer). I feel Kinzer has hit on an attitude that needs illumination so we can see more clearly. While Steve talks about definitely honoring soldiers who’ve performed above and beyond, he fails to discuss some basic ideas that support his position. One of the points he should have addressed is training. 100 percent of military members have some form of combat training. The more likely they are to be in combat, the more combat oriented training they receive. So with this in mind, what is more extraordinary? Someone trained in combat tactics performing their duties in a combat environment, or individuals who find themselves in a chaotic situation that is completely outside their norm, and then perform some extraordinary feat? Doing your job as trained, to me, doesn’t fit the definition of
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
Being a hero means to be willing to risk your life for others. Such as, Pat Tillman. Pat Tillman was a fantastic football player and he loved playing it too. Despite that, Pat Tillman turned down a 3.6million dollar contract to the Arizona Cardinals to go fight the war against terrorism. He ended up dieing from friendly fire. All this goes to show how brave Pat Tillman was to risk his life and give up his football career to go fight in Afghanistan to help protect the American people. Likewise, the people that helped evacuate New York City after the
Warrior ethos without military ethics leads to acts of crime, misconduct, and ethical breaches. On the one hand, fighting spirit is a central piece of combat power. In ancient times, the Spartans cultivated their culture of aggressiveness and competition to defeat their enemies. Soldiers do the same. That is what the US soldier’s creed is all about: “I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.” US soldiers are ready to fight, both mentally and physically. Mental toughness, aggressiveness, and competitive spirit have led generations of soldiers to success. This fighting spirit is necessary.
So what defines one as a hero? Well, a definition of what a hero is “A person noted for special achievement in a particular field” (hero, n.d). Our concept of a hero alters drastically from person to
Take the case of Chris Tschida, he administered first aid to his soldiers with only one hand and a shattered jaw while being attacked by an enemy. In the article, “Chris Tschida, Medal of Honor candidate,” Jeff Bacon explained that a grenade had begun the trouble, “...the grenade exploded and amputated Sgt. Tscihda’s left hand. Moments later the second grenade exploded inside the tank, severely wounding Sgt. Tschida and two of the other crew members. “ From the start, Tschida was struggling to keep his team and himself intact. It was up to him to make sure that anyone who was alive stayed alive, were out of the tank, and were taken care of. Jeff Bacon stated, “Knowing he and his fellow soldiers were not safe inside the tank, Sgt. Tschida pulled himself out of the hatch… Once both soldiers were safely out of the tank, Sgt. Tschida began administering first aid…” In the middle of a battle, Tschida was brave enough to attempt and save two of his men, when he could have easily assumed they were dead and leave them in the tank to die. Despite his role in the tank, Tschida went above and beyond, showcasing heroic qualities of compassion and leadership and was able to save two men in the process. To top it all off, Tschida was not rewarded for his actions and, as Jeff Bacon said, “has not received recognition or accolades for his heroism and steadfast leadership on May 15, 2005” and initially only told part of his story in a three sentence
Generally when you think of a hero, who do you envision? Most likely, you picture a strong and imposeing figure, someone capable of performing in high pressure situations, demonstrating bravery and passion to help his/her fellow man. Those who typically fit that role in society are firefighters, policemen, and soldiers. Those people deserve all the credit and recognition they receive for their courageous acts. However, what about individuals or groups who aren’t necessarily on the “frontlines” physically protecting others and saving lives, but who work extremely hard to improve the lives of others in some way? These everyday people deserve credit as well. After all, to the people they help, these volunteers or activists are heroes. An example of such a group is the Greensboro Four, a few African American college students in the early 1960s who helped change the landscape of segregation in the Jim Crow South.
There are many different perspectives of what a hero is but one opinion that most people would agree on is that a hero is someone who selfless and would sacrifice their own feelings for others. In The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus does not present the qualities of a hero but instead shows how one might lack true heroism. The character traits of being self-centered and unfaithful describe Odysseus as non-heroic. Odysseus must leave home to defend his people in the war for 10 years, but isn’t able to get home until another 10 years later. Throughout his journey, Odysseus selects lousy decisions that ends up making him unheroic such as being unreliable, unsympathetic of someone else’s emotions, and barbaric. This clearly shows that Odysseus is not hero material considering the fact that he is untrustworthy and manipulative.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves” (I.ii.147-148). Julius Caesar, is a tragedy about an honorable hero in the attendance of Julius Caesar. William Shakespeare, in his play, Julius Caesar, used vicious villains and egotistical heroes in order to prove how honorable actions make a true hero.
Whether we know it, or not, heros surround us in our everyday lives. We see them in our community, in our workplace, and many other places. In our community, they're obvious. They're the ones who put their lives on the line everyday and still may not get the gratitude that they deserve. They're the policemen and Firfighters that you see everyday. They're the soldiers that you don't hear about often enough. However, in the work place, they're the ones that people often look past. They do important things without getting noticed. They pull out the supplies needed for the upcoming activity before anyone arrives. They stay behind to clean up the mess. They're encouraging when no one else is. There are heroes all around us, whether we know it or not.
We admire about the soldier is that he has the power of losing his own life for the life of a larger cause. That, he holds his personal suffering of no account. He flings down in the rage of battle his all and says, “I will stand or fall with this cause .” (Weems 460 ) That, it seems to me, is the glorious thing we most admire and if we are going to preserve that same spirit in the civil life of the people, the same pride in civil warfare, the spirit of courage, and spirit of self-surrender which falls back to the american
Current global trends on communication, disaster management, information dissemination and internet interaction suggest it should be extremely difficult for one to determine at first glance that America lacks heroes. America has and always will have heroes. American Soldiers are heroes (Daugherty 195).
A person that has earned the title of veteran is an American Hero, simple as that. The top three qualities that stand out to me when reflecting on veterans are selflessness, courage, and commitment. I come from a long line of military veterans on all sides of my family. Writing this essay is very easy when I think about those family members. However, the most important point of this essay is to address how ALL Americans should recognize our veterans as being our real life super heroes. What they do for us as civilians is, in my opinion, the definition of heroism. Veterans don’t stop giving of themselves when their service is done. The AMVETS and other veteran organizations continue to give back by volunteering, helping those in need, and of course, providing scholarship opportunities like this one.
Today a lot of individuals are praised for their bravery and their heroism. A lot of
Who is a hero? In contemporary times, usage of the term has become somewhat of a cliché. Over the years, the term “hero” has become representative of a wide variety of individuals, each possessing differing traits. Some of the answers put forth by my colleagues (during our in-class discussion on heroism) as to whom they consider heroes pointed to celebrities, athletes, teachers and family members. Although the occupations differed, each of their heroes bore qualities that my classmates perceived as extraordinary, whether morally or physically. Nonetheless, Webster’s defines “hero” as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” Thus, it is worth considering that individuals become heroes relative to the situation with which they’re faced.
An example, of heroes are all those people who have fought and some who lost their lives on September 11. Many random bystanders helped dozens of people get out during the time of the collapse and still went back in with the firefighters to save many more lives. Even former U.S Marines put their uniforms back on to help search through the rubble