Greatest American Hero
I was guilted into writing an article for my corporate company newsletter. It's a rather informal thing since we aren't a huge corporation. I actually talk to the VP's who work with my division on a regular basis (and it's not awkward). Anyway, here's my brief essay entitled "Greatest American Hero."
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As of the writing of this article, I have already read several stories and seen news specials about the approaching anniversary of the event that shook America in 2001. News stories lead with: “Remember the heroes.” The word Hero has been batted around a lot since 9/11/2001. References are made to the firefighters who gave their lives in service to others as well as to the victims of the tragedy. Some people have very strong opinions about that day and the situation we are currently in and I am not going to address those underlying issues. I want to speak about what makes a hero.
Denis Leary once commented (in reference to 9/11 and the ease at which the word hero had been flung throughout the media) that the people, firefighters and other emergency response personnel that lost their lives on 9/11/01 were not heroes. They were just people who came to work that day. I always pondered that quote. It doesn’t seem right to think of people who run into burning and damaged buildings to help others as anything other than heroes. I thought of all the people faced with an impossible situation doing their best to make it out alive (and hopefully helping others do the same) as heroes. And maybe that’s just what a hero is: someone who does their best to get through any given situation and offers assistance to others when they have a gained a certain level of control themselves. With that definition just getting through the day at work might make someone a hero. Maybe the problem is trying to differentiate between an everyday hero and a superhero. The emergency response personnel of 9/11 didn’t possess any extraordinary powers. They didn’t wake up that morning with a supernatural drive to seek out crime and terrorists and lead the fight against them. They just did their jobs as well as they have always done them.
Each year since that tragedy I have tried to remind myself that the way I can best honor those heroes and express my pride in being American is by facing each day and each work challenge with all of my efforts. I don’t have to be a soldier to be all that I can be. I can join an army of Working Americans and do the best job I can every day. If I’m lucky, I can also teach my fellow Working Americans some of the things I have learned on the job. Whether it is a more efficient means of moving materials or paperwork or a safer way of handling products, we can build a better American Worker, who then builds a better American Citizen, who in turn builds a better America and maybe even a better World. With 300 million+ heroes like that in America, the terrorists don’t stand a chance!
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As of the writing of this article, I have already read several stories and seen news specials about the approaching anniversary of the event that shook America in 2001. News stories lead with: “Remember the heroes.” The word Hero has been batted around a lot since 9/11/2001. References are made to the firefighters who gave their lives in service to others as well as to the victims of the tragedy. Some people have very strong opinions about that day and the situation we are currently in and I am not going to address those underlying issues. I want to speak about what makes a hero.
Denis Leary once commented (in reference to 9/11 and the ease at which the word hero had been flung throughout the media) that the people, firefighters and other emergency response personnel that lost their lives on 9/11/01 were not heroes. They were just people who came to work that day. I always pondered that quote. It doesn’t seem right to think of people who run into burning and damaged buildings to help others as anything other than heroes. I thought of all the people faced with an impossible situation doing their best to make it out alive (and hopefully helping others do the same) as heroes. And maybe that’s just what a hero is: someone who does their best to get through any given situation and offers assistance to others when they have a gained a certain level of control themselves. With that definition just getting through the day at work might make someone a hero. Maybe the problem is trying to differentiate between an everyday hero and a superhero. The emergency response personnel of 9/11 didn’t possess any extraordinary powers. They didn’t wake up that morning with a supernatural drive to seek out crime and terrorists and lead the fight against them. They just did their jobs as well as they have always done them.
Each year since that tragedy I have tried to remind myself that the way I can best honor those heroes and express my pride in being American is by facing each day and each work challenge with all of my efforts. I don’t have to be a soldier to be all that I can be. I can join an army of Working Americans and do the best job I can every day. If I’m lucky, I can also teach my fellow Working Americans some of the things I have learned on the job. Whether it is a more efficient means of moving materials or paperwork or a safer way of handling products, we can build a better American Worker, who then builds a better American Citizen, who in turn builds a better America and maybe even a better World. With 300 million+ heroes like that in America, the terrorists don’t stand a chance!
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posted by LTV at
9/08/2006 07:05:00 PM
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