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Longing For Heroes

by   
6/30/2007 / Politics

It seems that people are longing for heroes as if there are no real ones to be found. Perhaps it is that the superheroes of comics and television have warped our view of what a hero really is. They swoop in with no regard for their safety and save the day. Well, that is not entirely true. Everyone knows a superhero can't get hurt. But what I know to be true is real heroes bleed, real heroes die and sometimes they just die trying.

In March of 2003, in the city of An Nasiriyah in Iraq, a convoy was attacked and prisoners were taken. On April 1st a successful rescue attempt liberated Private Jessica Lynch. The media was awash with stories of Private Lynch going down with guns blazing. But according to Jessica, this never happened.

Jessica was invited to speak before Congress in April of 2007 about how the military creates myths exaggerating the heroics of its soldiers. As a result of her testimony Jessica receives hate mail with some angry at her and some claiming she did nothing heroic. I strongly disagree. Regardless of the hype after her capture and subsequent rescue, she put her life on the line for this country. As Jessica herself said during her testimony, "The truth is always more heroic than the hype."*

Why does the military feel the obligation to exaggerate? It's because the American public demands it. V.A. hospitals across this country have been filled with heroes who may not have been the fastest or the strongest. Many never made it home. It wasn't a single act of bravery. It wasn't exaggerated stories. Heroes are not made from these. Being a hero is a condition of the heart.

There is no need to long for heroes. Heroes are everywhere. We don't need to create them in our fantasies. They are the soldiers who lay down their lives for us. And if the heart is truly the indicator, they are the fire fighters, the police officers, the moms and the dads. They are the ones who cannot help but to selflessly give of themselves. They bleed, they die and sometimes they just die trying.

* Quote taken from "I'm Jessica Lynch-and here's my real story", by Abigail Pesta; Glamour, July 2007

Copyright 2007

Michael Shadow is a regular contributor to thechristianpolitico.com. He is husband to one and father to two (a boy, 4 and a girl, 2).

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