DON'T THROW AROUND THE WORD 'HERO' LOOSELY.Byline: Maxine Flam THERE have been many debates lately over who is considered a hero. So I began thinking, what is the definition of a hero? I pulled out my Webster's 21st Century Dictionary The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia was one of the largest and most highly regarded encyclopedic dictionaries of the English language. The first edition was published from 1889 to 1891 by The Century Company of New York, in six, eight, or ten volume versions (originally which defined a hero as ``a person of courage and accomplishment.'' This certainly fits the police officers and firefighters who risked their lives and died responding to the terrorist attacks in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001. It also fits the firefighters who fought the wildfires that swept through Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, in October. But I'm sorry to say it doesn't fit Matthew Pavelka, the Burbank police officer killed in the line of duty In the Line of Duty may refer to:
prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. reports, he was pulling someone over in a routine traffic stop when a two-bit punk with no regard for life shot him. What about the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan? Does that make them heroes? Yes, some are, like Pvt. Patrick Miller
What about the person who puts his or her life on the line for a stranger? I have seen stories about people driving by a house that is on fire and rushing in to rescue the family. Is that person a hero? You betcha. My father won the Silver Star in World War II. He never spoke about it, and it wasn't until I was in my 20s that I even saw the citation. In June, my father was honored in Fort Drum Fort Drum may refer to:
``Volunteering to leave his duties with a medical battalion to replace company aid men after an infantry battalion had suffered severe casualty losses, Sgt. Sidney Flam went forward through fierce enemy mortar and artillery fire into an action zone to serve at an aid station. ... One tank was hit during the heavy barrage and the aid men were pinned to their stations. ``Sgt. Flam, at great risk to his life, left the aid station, climbed upon the turret of the damaged tank, exposing himself to enemy observation, and rescued the wounded tank crew. Learning of more casualties ahead, he crawled through enemy shell fire searching for and treating wounded along the way until he reached a village occupied by the enemy. ``The heroic actions of Sgt. Flam saved the lives of several casualties and are in accordance with the highest traditions of the United States Army United States Army Major branch of the U.S. military forces, charged with preserving peace and security and defending the nation. The first regular U.S. fighting force, the Continental Army, was organized by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, to supplement local .'' There were only six Silver Stars awarded to the entire 75th Medical Battalion of the 5th Armored Division. According to the official definition and the Army, my father is a hero My Father is a Hero (Traditional Chinese: 給爸爸的信; Simplified Chinese: 给爸爸的信 . The next time you want to use the word ``hero'' to describe rock stars, athletes, movie stars or just the average Joe on the street, respect the definition of the word - or don't use it at all. |
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