When I was younger – I often viewed sports figures or even certain rock stars as “Hero’s”. I was an avid ice hockey fan and often times if a player scored a hat-trick or the winning goal…they reached automatic hero status in my eyes.
Not anymore. To me the word “HERO” is thrown around pretty loosely these days. I feel so blessed to be able to know and hear the Heroic stories and sacrifices of many of our Servicemen and women. The job of being a soldier is so much more involved than many of us will ever know. The more I meet and learn about them – the more I am in awe of these great men and women. They are my Hero’s.
Hero’s are the men of the Continental Army who bravely fought the revolutionary war.
A hero is every single man who set foot on Omaha Beach.
A hero is every United States Marine who bravely fought in the battle of Iwo Jima.
A hero is every man in the 6th Battalion who successfully carried out a daring mission to rescue the remaining prisoners of the Bataan Death March.
A Hero is every single Service Member who bravely fought in Vietnam.
They are the soldiers, Marines and Airmen who today are courageously fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Hero’s are our wounded soldiers who have sacrificed so much, but will undoubtedly tell you – “I’m no hero; I was just doing my job”.
A Hero is the soldier who provides comfort and prays while holding the hand of his dying brother on the battlefield.
A Hero is also the wide-eyed little boy who looks up to our brave Servicemen and dreams of one day wearing the uniform and serving his country. One of them is my own son and Hero Luke.
A Hero is also the mother and father who despite how difficult and un-nerving as it may be, proudly stands behind and supports their son or daughter with their decision to serve this great nation.
We will always remember the sacrifices of all of you who have put on the uniform to serve in the United States Military.
We honor you, our veterans, who have proven your heroism and love for our country time and time again. You have consistently and honorably defended our ideals across the world and you are such an inspiration to those who defend America today.
We will always be grateful for the noble sacrifices made by you – we deeply honor and respect you for your service to our great country.
For the servicemen who are fighting for our country now and to our veterans – YOU are the living example of the timeless truth that freedom is not fee.
Thank you to all of our Military men and women for watching, defending and protecting this great land of ours. May God bless all of you.
HERO
BY HEATHER SLIWINSKI
SECRETARY OF OPERATION FIRST RESPONSE, INC