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Thursday, January 20, 2011

A real Hero

One of my pet peeves is the casual and overuse of the word Hero. It seems like so many people are described as "heroes" (policeman and firemen especially) when in fact they are dong the jobs they chose and are getting paid to do.
I do not mean to detract from their dedication or their courage, please please PLEASE understand that, but they are or were doing the job they chose knowing the risks. And believe me when I say that I am grateful and thankful that we have men and women that take these risks everyday for people like me and you., folks they don't know.
But today, I read about a hero. A man that gave his life so that another may live.
Below is an excerpt from the article.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Ron Barber can remember the small details of the Tucson rampage: The gunman, the crackle of gunfire, lying on the ground, wounded, and the weight of a body on him.
A week and a half later, Barber found out that it was his good friend John Roll.
Then he learned the federal judge may have helped save his life.
"I feel terrible of course, that he was there to help me and that got him shot, that he would have given his life for me," an emotional Barber told The Associated Press on Thursday.
"But I know John and I know him enough to know he's a very caring and compassionate person," he said.
Surveillance video taken at the supermarket where the Jan. 8 shooting occurred showed Roll pushing Barber to the ground, helping him crawl under a table and then lying on top of him, authorities said.
Roll then was shot in the back and lost his life in the process.
Authorities hailed Roll as a hero.
"Judge Roll is responsible for directing Mr. Barber out of the line of fire and helped save his life," Pima County sheriff's Chief Rick Kastigar said.
The FBI has the video and has declined to comment on its contents or what it shows.

Personally, without knowing the man, I have a feeling that His Honor wouldn't have cared if he was friends with the man he saved or not. He would've done the same no matter who it was.
So here we have a true Hero.

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