Renowned author Michael Herr is back on this awesome Aloha Friday talking about 'Heroes...' Make sure and check out Michael's website at; http://www.michaelherr.com/
To have heroes, we must have heroic acts.
To have heroes, we must have heroic acts.
ALOHA FRIDAY
September 16
It's Aloha Friday.
Heroes Born of Horror
Last weekend we remembered, because it is not something to celebrate, the 10Th anniversary (and is that the right word?) of an event we will long remember.
We now have two dates in American history that, as President Roosevelt said, "will live in infamy". Both were the opening salvos in a war. Both resulted in a massive loss of American lives. Both were treacherously carried out. But one was carried out by a nation; while the other was carried out by a small group of individuals.
Each of these horrific acts, for they were each truly horrific, created heroes. It is terrible, but to have heroes we first must have horror. Horror on a small scale such as a car bearing down on a pedestrian. Horror on a large scale such as planes diving out of the sun to drop bombs on innocent civilians.
These horrible acts, at times, bring out the best in people. The pedestrian is snatched from danger by a quick-thinking passerby. A soldier snatches up a gun and brings down the plane dropping bombs on a village. Heroes both.
But sometimes the heroes die from their heroism. A fireman carries one person out of a burning building, goes back for another and is consumed by the flames himself. A parent shields their child from a gunman and dies in that child's defense. And then we mourn. We celebrate the bravery; but we mourn the loss.
To have heroes, we must have heroic acts. To have heroic acts, we must have tragedy. And so we rejoice and mourn together.
In remembrance and with much aloha.
check out Michael's website at http://www.michaelherr.com/ buy all six books for only $18