[Ansteorra] Oh no, I wasn't a hero... was Re: Veteran's Day

[iainmacc at juno.com]

On Wed, 13 Nov 2002 12:38:29 -0600 "CE Huse/Lady Maria Cabeca de Vaca"
<cehuse at sbcglobal.net> writes:
>
> I always considered my dad a hero because he volunteered (not
> drafted) to
> serve in Vietnam. He doesn't think he is a hero and that he was just
> doing
> his duty to his country.
>

        And that right there is the true measure of a hero. Someone who,
even if they hate it, are frightened of it, would avoid it if they
honorably could...  no matter, it needs to be done.
        A lot of people in the military, today or at almost any time, are
there for the steady paycheck, the training, etc., but they still accept
the risks and the hardships. There are also a lot of people, possibly
more than the first group, who are there simply because they regard it as
the price of citizenship. The more places you go in the world, the more
you realize how lucky you are to be an American. It's fitting that it
should carry a high price.

        When Tom Hanks directed "Band of Brothers", he talked to a whole
lot of old warhorses from the unit he portrayed. Many of them were in
fact the very people he had portrayed in those movies. And the common
reply he got from those people on the question of "heroics" was this:

        "Oh no, I wasn't a hero...   but I had the privilege of serving
with heroes."



Iain MacCrimmon



                    Cave Tyranniam Timorium Suorum

________________________________________________________________
Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today
Only $9.95 per month!
Visit www.juno.com