What is a hero?

On April 4, 2004, a U. S. soldier was killed in Iraq. His name and death would go unnoticed by many until two years later to the day of his passing. For on this past Tuesday, President George W. Bush presented this soldier's 11 year-old son with his father's Congressional Medal of honor. What does give me pause, although just for a moment mind you, is that Ted Koppel on April 30th read this soldier's name along with the other 530 plus heroes. This Congressional Medal of Honor winner along with all our other fallen heroes were piled together and read as some politicised, quasi memorial. Perhaps it is poor timing that such an event as this award ceremony should occur during a news cycle which contains so many other, "newsworthy" deaths. So, fine readers, let us pause and focus on this fine soldier and this honor he received, for a while.

Seargent First Class Paul R. Smith was a native of Tampa, Fl. He enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1989. He was a huband and a father of two. On Apr. 4, 2003, SFC Smith was leading a small engineering unit attached to the 11th Engineer Battalion, Task Force 2-7, 3rd Infantry Division “Rock of the Marne”, when the Task Force came under heavy fire from a proportionately, larger enemy force. SFC Smith initially utilized his personal weapon along with grenades and anti-tank weaponry to engage the enemy. He then hastened the evacuation of three fellow soldiers after their APC was hit by a 60mm rocket. SFC Smith feared the enemy would flank the American position. He then braved enemy fire and manned a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on top of another damaged APC. In holding off the, what was later found to be Saddam's Republican Guard, enemy assault, SFC Smith expended over three hundred rounds of ammo which included three boxes of .50 caliber ammunition. It was reported that SFC Smith killed at least 50 enemy fighters before he was fatally wounded. (To read the full official citation) Is that a hero? Or, is that the report of a blood-thirsty war monger bent on furthering his President's illegal agenda of world domination and plunder. For you see, I have difficulty seeing it their (liberal's) way. One can easily suppose that someone out there in the illogical, upside down world of extreme, left-wing opinion will look at this soldier's story and write or say that he in some way deserved what he got. Its not that hard to imagine if we look back at what was said of Pat Tillman by the extreme left.

Am I strange to feel pride for a man I never knew? This man of course did take a life. But, one does not have to search long to find justification. I do not think it is needed, but to somehow stifle critics who blindly believe in non-violence at all costs, here are some examples of what history's thinkers believed about warfare and those who practiced it:

"We make war that we may live in peace", Aristotle, 350 B.C.E., Nicomachean Ethics, bk. 10, ch. 7, sct. 1177b

"Thomas Aquinas placed his discussion of just war in his chapter on charity and love of God. John Calvin called the soldier an "agent of God's love" and soldiering justly a "God-like act." from National Review Online, Sept. 10, 2004, Anne Morse

But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother...
King Henry's St. Crispin's Day Speech before the battle of Agincourt from, Shakespeare's Henry V

Greater love no one has than to lay down one's life for one's friends (Jn 15:13)

Were these men wrong? Were they spouting mere folly? There are those that personally believe that they themselves should not participate in battle. Their own spiritual beliefs drive them to deny the calling of our country. It should and has been respected. We do not have to stretch our brains too wildly for an example of one man's inner battle between faith-based beliefs in non-violence and the calling of his country. Sgt. Alvin C. York, (I hope everyone saw that I was going there), easily comes to mind.

Some men truly struggle with idea of going to war, as was shown above. So what of those men who do decide to go to battle, to take another's life, and face death. These men should have been and still are respected, at least by logical and caring Americans. Can we in our normal lives picture the sacrifice, the struggle, the supreme effort that was and is given by our fighting men today and throughout our history?

We know the famous heroes of our past, like Sgt. York and Audie Murphy. We have seen the movies. But what about a man like Corporal Hiroshi Miyamura, who during the Korean war hastened the withdrawal of his company while fighting of the oncoming enemy with his bayonet. Cpl. Miyamura, a son of Japanese immigrants, was severely wounded and still managed to kill at least 50 of the enemy and protect his men. Cpl. Miyamura was last seen near Taejon-ni, Korea still battling with his bayonet as his position was overwhelmed.

We know the leaders that have won the award, Gen. Douglas Macarthur in the Phillipines, and Lt. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt who wore the letters U.S.V. on his lapel to represent U.S. Volunteers, but how about Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Brig. Gen. Roosevelt made three seperate requests to personally lead the invasion at Normandy on Jun. 6, 1944, before being granted permission. As a one star general, Roosevelt repeatedly led groups of soldiers across the beaches of Normandy and over the seawall while under constant enemy fire. Throughout the morning Brig. Gen. Roosevelt remained at the front of the attack. He passed away the next month from a heart attack at age 56.

Everyone is aware of the hardships many of our fighting men had to endure as POW's during the Vietnam War, and some of you may know the exploits of Rear Admiral Stockdale when he spent time in a NVA prison camp. But few probably know of another POW who proved to be as forthright, as relentless, and as brave as more famous men. Capt. Lance P. Sijan was a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Capt. Sijan was shot down over North Vietnam while flying in his F-4C. I cannot do his story justice in this post. His story is one of extreme stubborness and courage few could comprehend or realize a man is capable. (for a full account, Into the Mouth of the Cat, by Malcolm McConnell)

Until recently, our country's battles have been few and far between. One could imagine that the world had realized our superior capabilities were unmatched the world over. Our down time could have also been perceived by some as proof of our softness. International critics may have been proven right by our action in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993, but I am sure that most of you are aware of the two Delta Force snipers, (Master Seargent Gary I. Gordon and Seargent First Class Randall D. Shughart) who earned the C.M.H. for their actions on the streets of that African capital. Others in our country's history have one the C.M.H. during actions not designated as a war. Major Smedley D. Butler, from West Chester, PA, was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Major Butler earned two C.M.H., one for his actions in Vera Cruz, Mexico when the Marines captured that city, and one for his action in Haiti, during the capture of Fort Riviere and the defeat of the Cacos who held it. Please pay attention to the fact that both actions occured in the same year, 1915.

The above men are exemplar of duty and courage, and are deserving of our gratitude. What of the rest of the military? Are they as deserving of our praise? Our legislative branch of our government throughout the 20th century seemed to have thought so. Beginning in 1921, each soldier interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns, has, by an act of Congress, been awarded the C.M.H. One can look at the awards as recognizing them all. All the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and guardsmen are heroes.

Does anyone notice? I have written of these men, but do people care. If a poll was taken, like so many polls we see these days which seem to cover every minute opinion held by an individual, to delve into the thoughts and feelings surrounding last Tuesday's ceremony, would anyone respond? Would a majority of people have noticed? If I were a betting man, I would wager that those who would have noticed would be the paucity. There seems today, people who are proud of our men and women in uniform, truly proud and recognise their actions as valorous, are in the dearth of society. People buy the stickers and put them on their cars, and speak of support. But, would people call these men heroes? I suggest we feel gratitude and honor for all our service men and women. We wear our pride on our sleeves as Americans, and rightly so.

I provided examples above of what some great thinkers wrote and said of soldiers. All the while, and throughout my searches, the best quote I found came from SFC Smith's widow, Birgit. Birgit said, "Every one of our soldiers deserve the title of a hero, for they, too, have answered a noble calling — the call to duty."

Amen Mrs. Smith.