Being a Hero

 

How often have you heard someone described as a hero? It seems that almost every day, we hear of someone who did something that is called heroic. Often, those people insist that they are not heroes, and name someone else who is more heroic than they are.

The word hero is applied to the military, police officers, teachers, and even family pets or service animals.

But are they really heroes? Is it heroic to do what is expected of you—serving in combat zones if you’re in the military, running into a burning building if you’re a fire fighter, or arresting the bad guy if you’re a policeman?

Maybe what really happens is that ordinary people sometimes do heroic things.

There are many examples of this type of heroism, for instance, the teachers who shielded their students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown last December and the fire fighters who ran into the crumbling Twin Towers when everyone else streamed out.

If you Google “everyday heroes”, you will get page after page of references. There are literally thousands of stories about everyday heroes. There are websites devoted to their stories.

I saw the movie, “Captain Phillips” lately, and the story captivated my imagination. I wondered how anyone could survive being held hostage in a stinking little life boat with four pirates who saw you as collateral—something to trade for a big payday. As almost everyone knows, this movie is based on a true story, the Somalian pirate attack on the Maersk Alabama and hostage taking of Captain Richard Phillips. Because the movie touched me so deeply, I decided to read the book he and Stephen Talty authored. It turned out that the movie version soft pedaled much of the terror and abuse that was heaped on Captain Phillips during his captivity. Because of his actions and those of several of his crew, the ship, its cargo (humanitarian aid) and rest of the crew were unhurt and escaped safely. Phillips was eventually saved by the US Navy and the Navy Seals after several days of captivity. Despite having used his intelligence and experience to thwart the pirate attack, and being subjected to psychological and physical abuse by his captors, Captain Phillips refuses to call himself a hero. Instead, he gives credit to his crew, the US Navy and the Navy Seals. He claims what he did –luring the pirates off the ship was simply his duty.

Here’s a strange footnote to the Captain Phillips story. Some of his crew are suing the Maersk Shipping Line because they claim they were exposed unnecessarily to the danger of pirate attacks—while serving on a shipping line that plied the waters off the Somalia coast line—a place known for piracy.  They claim that Phillips was not a hero, even though they were safe in a hidden room on the ship while the Captain was negotiating with the pirates, getting them off the ship—and being taken hostage.

So once again, this begs the question—who is a hero? Is it someone who does what he/she is expected to do? Or is it someone who is inherently altruistic? And are heroes always heroes? Or are they folks like the rest of us who rise to an occasion?

 

About Kathy

I grew up in Buffalo,New York the second eldest child in a family that eventually included eight children. The neighborhood was an Irish-American enclave. These two facts explain a great deal about me. I spent many years as a teacher who really thought of herself as a writer.

5 Responses to Being a Hero

  1. Donna says:

    I believe in the everyday hero. The one that rises to the situation without a second thought. There are heroes around all around us.

  2. Bonnie Byrne says:

    Captain Phillips is a true hero! There are many we also meet in our everyday lives.

  3. susan raff says:

    to me, heroines and heroes, are those people who give freely of themselves, when another individual needs support. They can look the other way, turn their head, but instead, they offer a hand, a smile and a shoulder, when you need it most.

  4. Sheila Anderson is one of my heroes. She quietly dedicates countless hours to the St. Rose of Lima Food Pantry which provides food, counseling and job postings for needy residents of greater Poinciana.

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