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Date Posted: Tue, February 22 2005, 11:26:26
Author: Larry Lusk
Author Host/IP: 66.214.54.226
Subject: Who is a "War Hero"?

The term “Hero” in wartime is a very subjective concept. We can all agree on one level that a person who was awarded the Medal of Honor is a hero. If you ask one, however, he will most likely tell you that he doesn’t consider himself to be a hero. My second Company Commander in Vietnam was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ashau Valley in April, 1968. He has told me that he feels very embarrassed when he is called a “hero”. He feels that he only did what he was trained to do and what would be expected from any officer that day. I will always have a deep residing respect and gratitude for this brave, dedicated and self-effacing man who saved the lives of my friends.

Was he a “hero”? Yes, not because of the medal he was awarded but because he did his job that day. I feel that every combat medic, every man who volunteered to walk point or moved to a more exposed position under fire in the hope of getting a shot at the enemy is a hero. Some got medals for bravery but most didn’t but that doesn’t mean that their actions were any less heroic. All were doing their jobs, what they were trained to do and expected to do in the face of the normal human reaction for self preservation.

I’m not sure if you could even design a sliding scale for what actions were more or less heroic in wartime. You either overcame your fear and did your job or you didn’t. Who deserved to be singled out for doing a “heroic action” was most often decided by the other un-sung heroes who were there when the action took place. So who is or what makes someone a war hero? The best answer I have ever heard has been said by countless veterans from many wars; the men and women who didn’t make it home alive are the real heroes. The only medal most of these heroes received was far less than they deserved, the Purple Heart.

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