I bring this up cause the other day I was watchin news (an American news station) and a plumber was considered a 'hero' cause he was able to retrieve a $20,000 diamond ring that a lady accidentally flushed down the toilet.
I thought a "hero" saved human beings, animals, u kno, things that live, can feel, stuff like that???
Wat makes someone a "hero" in American terms?

Another thing...would u call someone a hero if they leave their family behind (unborn/new born child & wife) to go somewhere where they don't have to go & there's a 99% chance of dying and not seeing your fam again...just cause other people say you'll be a "hero" for doing it?

JayJai said:

I agree with your definition. Only if it is a living being that is being saved can you truly be a hero. And not necessarily just in life or death situations but all kinds of awful circumstances.

Are you a hero if it is your job and you are paid for your work?

THIS IS HEROISM....

I just think there are varying degrees of heroism.

JayJai said:

There's an age-old adage in the military that he who seeks to be a hero is to be avoided at all costs....because this person is more likely to cause, not prevent, multiple deaths among the ranks....most of us in uniform don't seek hero worship...we don't want it....because I agree that we're doing our jobs...just like police and firemen...this is what we do, not for some misguided desire to be worshipped, but because we know that there is something bigger than us that needs to be served...and I think its rather dismissive to state that we do it because "people say we'll be heroes"...the folks who are true heroes are regarded as such not because they went into a warzone, or into a burning house/building, etc. and died...it was because they sacrificed their lives in order to save others....went above and beyond what normal people would do for other people....to me, a hero is someone who would jump on a grenade in order to keep his buddies from dying...not because there's nobility in dying, but because of the selflessness that person demonstrated....the ideal that we are indeed each other's keepers....

Personally, I hate it when people throw around the term "hero" because it diminishes the truly heroic among us....
[Edited 1/30/09 11:15am]

reneGade20 said:

Well, this may be where my selfish side comes out, but I would really love for my husband/bf to come back home to me and not jump on a grenade to save his buddies while he has a family waitin for him to come back home.
Say you're in the military and u can choose if u wanna go fight or not, u have a family at home. Would u go for love of country? They say the best hero u can be is a hero to your family. A good father etc...wat about that?

JayJai said:

first off, the troop who gives the ultimate sacrifice doesn't plan it ahead of time...it's not something that we're "trained" to do, and military history will show that many more troops DIDN'T jump on grenades to save buddies....many more troops throughout history HAVE come home to spouses/significant others than not...

secondly, I AM in the military...and I have gone to Iraq on three seperate occasions...did I like it? No...did I choose going to war over staying with my family? By virtue of signing my contract to go where I was sent, Yes, I did...but once again you oversimplify the "hero" thing in the military...we don't go into this job trying to become a hero...and I sure as hell didn't need the military to make me the father that I am...I'm not a babydaddy...I'm not a deadbeat dad...I'm the father of two potentially college bound teens who aren't drugged out criminals AND a successful Soldier/leader....