The Heroes

I was watching the Republican convention this evening. Of course, the political far outweighs anything else that might come out of an evening with the Republicans (or the Democrats, for that matter), but one thing grabbed at me.

I watched the C-SPAN version of the convention, meaning there was no commentary and the television showed the minor speakers before the heavyweights came on later on. One of those speakers was a former Viet Nam POW.

As part of his short time on the podium, he introduced the sister and two buddies of a Navy SEAL who had given his life in Iraq by falling on a grenade, thus saving the lives of many others. For that act, he was given the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.

The speaker then introduced five men who were at the convention (as special guests, no doubt) who were Medal of Honor winners and had them stand and be recognized. He then introduced twelve (I think that number is correct) men who were fellow POW’s along with himself and Senator McCain and asked them to stand and be recognized.

Let’s be honest and real here. Most of us have no idea. We haven’t a clue. We cannot possibly relate. Intentionally fall on a grenade? Serve 5 years as a POW in sub-human conditions? Be awarded the Medal of Honor? These men, ordinary human beings, each did something that was so extraordinary as to rise to the level of something almost not human.

Yet if you call any of these men heroes, each one to a man will tell you that the real heroes are the ones that never came back alive. (I don’t have to actually ask them. I’ve heard that from the heroes of Iwo Jima for many years, now, having attended several reunions. I have no doubt that these men would say the same thing.) The real hero in the group that was introduced, according to them, was the young man who fell on the grenade. They were just doing their job…doing their duty…doing what they were asked to do.

I complain about the price of gasoline, about the weather, and about my ailments that sometimes keep me up at night. I wonder if work tomorrow will be a good day or a not so good day. I look forward to the weekend, and enjoy the niceties of brewed coffee, a larger-than-life house, and the companionship of a great wife. My kids and grandkids are blessings in abundance.

Two worlds; two experiences. And in a chosen few, those worlds and experiences come together in the lives of men and women who are indeed the extraordinary...the courageous…the heroes.