what makes a Hero?

The Freep today has thier front page plastered with .
"Our 21st century war heros" ( or something along that line)

With the pictures of all the people who have lost their lives for Canada recently.

Does the act of dieing make you a hero? Or should anyone, all police, firemen and all soldiers who volunteer to give their lives for all other Canadians be considered Heros.
I am not trying to belittle the fact that many people in the armed forces have given thier lives lately. But is it the dieing that makes you a hero or the fact that you volunteered in the first place?

Deank wrote:The Freep today has thier front page plastered with .
"Our 21st century war heros" ( or something along that line)

With the pictures of all the people who have lost their lives for Canada recently.

Does the act of dieing make you a hero? Or should anyone, all police, firemen and all soldiers who volunteer to give their lives for all other Canadians be considered Heros.
I am not trying to belittle the fact that many people in the armed forces have given thier lives lately. But is it the dieing that makes you a hero or the fact that you volunteered in the first place?

Does the definition of "hero" really matter? Everyone is a hero to someone, military, parents, teachers, Gretzky, Lehotsky, Roblin...everyone. Thequestion we should be asking is who isn't a hero and how can that be changed.

It does in this case as for some reason the freep has decided only those who have died are heros.

Those people gave the ultimate sacrifice, no doubt about that. But they are not the only heros Canada has.

Hey Trini...that's pretty funny considering your avatar .

I would think you have to define what a "Hero" is as to what context it's being used.

If you have kids, you're probably one of your kid's "heroes". If you are a good leader/teacher, you're probably someone else's "hero".

Those in the military dieing in the war could be heroes...then again you could say they are just doing their job. But they are heroes for serving to begin with.

I just watched "We Were Soldiers" last night...and I was actually thinking of this topic. Yes, the Colonel was a hero...and a brilliant strategist...but the guy he told to charge a hill who took off running towards the enemy...obeying orders...he's a hero.

Personally, I would not list in the paper those who died as being the heroes. I'd list all those who have served...who have done their duty. Sacrifice while doing that duty doesn't make them a hero...it makes them a martyr.

Dont get me wrong, I believe its great the freep published this list, it was rather hard to sit there and read all the names and look at the pictures knowing that they all have someone somewhere that is missing thier love because they gave their life for us. Just thinking about it is hard.
I just really dont know what to think of pronouncing them our heros does.

It shows they were right to do what they did, no matter what we at home think of it . In other words support don't rag on them rag on the politicians who put them there .

Deank wrote:Dont get me wrong, I believe its great the freep published this list, it was rather hard to sit there and read all the names and look at the pictures knowing that they all have someone somewhere that is missing thier love because they gave their life for us. Just thinking about it is hard.
I just really dont know what to think of pronouncing them our heros does.

In terms of military, if they served, they are heroes to me. Ditto for first responders, etc.
Publishing photos as the freep has done is a good thing as it reminds us of people from our community who do that which we choose not to do, ultimately in the cause of freedom. Since you can't publish the photos of all who have served, these photos are appropriate, IMHO.
Remembrance is necessary. The wars have been a huge part of our history and they have touched virtually every family who have been here for a generation or two. Even I had family in the Canadian military and I wasn't born here, neither were they.

Lest we forget...

Definitions of hero
-a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength; "RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain"
-the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
-champion: someone who fights for a cause

Greek
mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a
triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

(classical
mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold
exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god

(Greek
mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover
Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her

bomber:
a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled
with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and
condiments); different names are used in different sections of the
United States

thanks Goth...now I'm hungry for a hero .

The current military is comprised of volunteers. Everyone joins knowing what the risks are, but nobody joins with the intent of dying. Those who have given up their lives are heroes.

If you ever want to be truly moved or you start to think too much of yourself, check out this website http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/cmdp/mainmenu/group01/cdn_vc and read some of the citations. Remember, these are the guys who received the medals because someone was there to witness what happened. Start with Andrew Mynarski.

Freeman wrote:The current military is comprised of volunteers. Everyone joins knowing what the risks are, but nobody joins with the intent of dying. Those who have given up their lives are heroes.

If you ever want to be truly moved or you start to think too much of yourself, check out this website http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/cmdp/mainmenu/group01/cdn_vc and read some of the citations. Remember, these are the guys who received the medals because someone was there to witness what happened. Start with Andrew Mynarski.

Excellent link.