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True Heroes Research Paper

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James Bradley, the son of a World War II navy veteran, said, “Today the word ‘hero’ has been diminished, confused with ‘celebrity.’ But in my father's generation the word meant something. Celebrities seek fame. They take actions to get attention. Most often, the actions they take have no particular moral content. Heroes are heroes because they have risked something to help others. Their actions involve courage” (Flags of our Fathers). Celebrities don’t do things for others, just for themselves. Heroes aren’t like that. Heroes exist for the people, not for their own gain. Because heroes never let go of hope, inspire others, and can put their lives on the line for others, they earn their title of hero. A true hero inspires others, even in their …show more content…

One such example is the firemen who ran into the radiation and fires of Chernobyl, in a desperate effort to put out the fires and stop the radiation. Though it was against regulation, they ran to serve. As fireman Anatoli Zakharov said in 2008, “Of course we knew! If we'd followed regulations, we would never have gone near the reactor. But it was a moral obligation – our duty.” All the firemen who put out the fury of Chernobyl are true heroes because of their unceasing courage, unyielding determination, and selfless attitude. They didn’t care for themselves, but for others. That is true heroism. Years before the Chernobyl disaster, in 1965, war in Vietnam raged. Down on a small, winding, jungle trail, a 5 man patrol crept forward. When a hand grenade was thrown into their midst, they all dove to the ground. Except one. 17 year old Milton Olive III dove onto the grenade, absorbing the blast, to save 4 other soldiers he barely knew. For this final action in life, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, America’s highest honor. He was the first African American in the Vietnam War to be awarded this honor. At Milton Olive’s Medal ceremony, President Lyndon B. Johnson said, “He was compelled, instead, by an instinct of loyalty which the brave always carry into conflict.” President Johnson didn’t just mean war. He meant any situation where the needs of others override your own needs. Olive is a true hero because he, as Abraham Lincoln would say, “gave the ultimate sacrifice” to save his patrol. Their lives were truly changed by the small kid from Chicago’s South Side. Because of Olive, generations of Americans can live in freedom. Heroes, with only one life, can save the lives of

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