Heroes: The Wounded Vets By Isaac Blunt

When people think of a hero, they do not understand you don't need to be just like superman, you don't need to be able to fly, or be immortal and never die. There is no need to wear a mask, save the world, or have special powers. To me, any regular person can become a hero in their own way. I believe a hero can be found in any piece of literature, most main characters are all heroes, but they are all heroes in a different way. To me, in order to be a hero, all you need to do is put someone else's life in front of your own, if you can change someone else's life you can then call yourself a hero. Aristotle once said that a tragic hero is "one who does not fall into misfortune though vice or depravity, but falls because of some mistake".

When you hear the word hero you might think Batman, Superman or maybe even Spiderman, but neither one comes to mind when I hear the word hero. Not all heroes save the world, have super powers and not all heroes wear capes. But all heroes save lives, all heroes are role models and all heroes protect others when in need.

What is a hero? Or, better, what makes a hero? We all know about the Hollywood heroes. they rush into trouble to save those they love. They risk their lives for others and sometimes lose their own. Regular veterans risk everything, not just their lives, but also their families’ and their country’s freedom and lives’ everyday they have served.

Heroes are not always people who lead marches or do things for their country. For example policemen, firefighters, nurses, lifeguards etc. are heroes everyday because they take the time to save lives. When they’re going through a challenge or trying to overcome a conflict they always have courage. These people risk their own life to save someone else’s. To be more specific Dr. Ginger Holt from Dallas had saved a little boy’s leg. She was confident and determined to finding out what went wrong in the boy’s leg and went through many procedures looking at the tests.

Heroes are commonly known as fictional characters like Captain America or Superman but the truth is that anyone can be a hero. The true definition of a hero is someone who is idolized or looked up to for his or her own accomplishments or traits. There are many examples of real life heroes and folktale heroes told throughout the world. One example would be folktale story Joe Magarac who worked in an iron ore mine. Another example would be male Sheldon Smith who created a program dedicated to helping young African American teenagers learn how to be a man and take care of their children. Another example would be American soldier Dennis Weichel who risked his own life so save an Afghanistan girl from being ran over. All of these stories show different traits of real life and folktale characters and what they did to help. All of these stories show that different character traits make up a hero.

People can show heroism in many ways and one of them is being brave. For example, In the article “Soldier home from after losing his leg in Afghanistan” Tristan Segers was being very brave,“I just kept telling the doctors that I didn’t want my life to be different than it was before. Of course, the loss of a leg changed me. But it doesn’t define me or the rest of my life.”(Fiege 58). This shows that's Tristan Segers is a hero because he lost a leg while fighting for his country. Another example is, In the article “A Man”, a veteran who has lost his arm “fighting for his country” is now being braver than ever,“He set himself to do everything with twice as much enthusiasm.”(56). This shows that after the veteran lost his arm fighting for his country, he wanted to stop being sad, and he wanted to live his life to the fullest.

To begin with bravery is a quality that most definitely defines what a true hero is. The poem “Barbara Frietchie” it states “Bravest of all in Frederick town, She took up the flag then men hauled down”. In this poem, it talks about a very brave old lady named Barbara Frietchie who kept her country’s flag hung outside her window. Despite soldiers already taking down the flag once she still hangs it with pride. In Gale Feige’s article it talks about a brave soldier names Tristan Segers who had lost his leg in Afghanistan. In the article, it states “Segers wears shorts in the warm summer weather, not even hiding his prosthetic leg”. This is extremely brave because even though he must wear a prosthetic leg he is brave enough to wear shorts and show his prosthetic leg.

A hero is not one who is physically strong or one who is evil hearted. In the world, there are many famous people who are not heroes but some believe they are. For example, Batman is a hero to many kids, they look up to him. But Batman uses his strength to fight evil and is evil hearted because he doesn’t think about a number of people who could get hurt because of his actions.

To start off, a true hero is risking your life for others. Heroes always have their lives at risk, to help people other than themselves. One example is from, (“A Man”) it states that a veteran was fighting for his country but lost his arm. “While fighting for his country, he lost an arm and was suddenly afraid” (Cassian 64).

A hero In my Opinion is a kind and loving person. Also a hero helps people, is generous, changes lives, and is admired. If you have all these qualities you would be a true hero.

A person that is not a hero is someone who does not work hard. A person that is not a hero is someone who doesn't want to encourage others. People from comic books are not real heroes because they are not real people. People that are not noble are not considered heroes. People that have not protected their life to protect others is not a hero. When a hero does something he or she is not paid and a person that is not a hero is paid for example like a

When heroes come to mind we think of ordinary people who just save others. No that is not true but real heroes do more that that. A hero is a person who is self- sacrificing and unselfish. They fight for what is right, and would do anything for their people, or inspired people to do the right thing or moral. To support my information I have three examples of a true hero

After serving in the military for four years Thor Heyerdahl once stated, “Heroism doesn’t occur from taking orders, but rather from people who through their own willpower and strength are willing to sacrifice their lives for an idea.” This helps to show how a true hero will willingly risk their life and the things that they love for the people or cause that they are fighting for. Heroism is being selfless to help a greater cause, courageously rising to the challenges that they face, but not always making a huge difference.

A hero is often referred to as the one with the tights and cape. The one who saves the day without a scratch on his body. The one who goes into the top of a burning building just to save the poor ol’ kitten. But if you stop and think, is he really a hero? Or did he just pull of a silly stunt to get credits from his peers. Not all heros wear capes! A hero is one who gives their live every day in hopes of a great change.

It is very easy to depict the wrong version of a hero: Someone standing in a cape, with a mask, and a secret identity. However, real heroes are the people who may not stand out, but rather blend in. A true hero is sometimes hidden, but in plain view at the same time. Heroism is doing something for not just yourself, but everyone else. A hero is much more than just the outfit that they wear. Although at times heroes are imperfect, they are still an inspiration, and are selfless through all of the challenges that they overcome.