In today’s society when cynicism seems to rule the day and even our national leaders are inept at best, it has become abundantly clear that gone are the days when we had real American heroes. Heroes have been replaced by so-called idols that are sensationalized in the gossip magazines and celebrated on reality shows that seem to glorify all types of behavior that most of us would do well to never emulate. My generation and those before me had heroes, real men and women who were larger than life and represented everything that made this country what it is today.
Years ago, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings sang a song called “My heroes have always been cowboys”, and most of mine were. As a child, many of the television programs and movies were westerns. Many of these were real stories about real Americans who struggled to carve a nation through wilderness, extreme weather and other conditions that today we cannot even fathom. This was a time when Hollywood not only made movies about heroes but many of the actors in them were heroic as well. Some of those included John Ford, Jimmy Stewart, and Gene Autry.
These men for the most part had fought in World War II. One of those was Audie Murphy who became a national hero during World War II as the most decorated combat soldier of the war. This one man received thirty-three awards including the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for bravery that a soldier can receive. The governments of France and Belgium decorated him for bravery and with killing over 240 German soldiers, and wounding, and capturing many more.
In the classroom, we learned about the real heroes who built this country. There were the stories of the leaders of the American Revolution who stood against a tyrannical government, fought, and died so that future generations could live in freedom. Who can forget about the midnight ride of Paul Revere, or Washington leading his men across the Delaware in bitter cold to surprise the British forces? Speaking of Washington, the fanatics of political correctness have vilified him to the point that you would consider him now some sort of villain. I challenge each of you to do your own research. If there ever was a man that had the hand of God guiding him, it was George Washington.
At one time most of our nations’ leaders were men and women of vision who believed in American exceptionalism and while none of them were perfect, the citizens of our country looked up to them as heroes. Names like Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan are some who either served and or passed away during my lifetime. These men understood what the Office of President meant and were committed to an America who backed down for no one. Their vision of America transcended party politics and told the world that the United States of America was a beacon of freedom for the oppressed peoples of the world.
Many of our heroes were much closer than Hollywood or Washington; they were our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who taught us love of family and the importance of serving your fellow man. In addition to our families, pastors and Sunday school teachers shared with us the Word of God and the path of salvation. Schoolteachers who stood in the classroom because they really wanted to educate children, and not because it was a better career choice were also many of our heroes.
Even today, there still are heroes, and many of them have returned from combat in flag draped coffins or missing limbs and facing years of medical treatments just to live a somewhat normal life. There are the firefighters and police officers who leave their families every day with no guarantee that they will ever darken that door again. We should be celebrating these people as true American heroes. Celebrities come and go, and politicians will only look out for themselves, but real heroes are an example to us all, and they deserve our love, admiration and eternal respect.
haroldstockburger 