Take Army Sergeant 1st Class Curtis Haines, who received the Medal of Bravery for diving into a burning vehicle to extract an Iraqi citizen seriously injured and on fire after a car bomb exploded at a military checkpoint. Haines pulled the civilian out of the raging fire and carried him 50 yards to safety before administering medical aid, savingIndeed.
the man's life.
snip
There are literally thousands more stories of ordinary Americans performing extraordinary acts of selfless bravery on battlefields across the globe. While their stories are different, these soldiers share two things: a singular devotion to the idea that freedom must prevail and the courage to subordinate themselves to do wha t it takes to achieve that end.
Sadly, our military heroes have one more thing in common: anonymity. The mainstream media would have us believe we are engaged in a war without heroes. So far the only names the media trumpet are those whose actions speak to the alleged malfeasance of the American military, like Lynndie England and those involved in the boorishness at Abu Ghraib. But Workman, Haines and Dunham deserve to be held up as the heroes they are. While it is a sign of America's goodness that we expose and denounce abuse by our troops - for while winning this war will not be easy, we guarantee our defeat by stooping to the level of our enemy - what does it say about our nation that we refuse to recognize those whohave performed genuine acts of heroism?
My brother just arrived in Iraq for his third tour there, a tour that will likely last 15-18 months. Although Bauer talks about heroes that all but the heroes themselves would acknowledge, every single member of our armed forces, past, present and future should be thanked and praised for the anonymous work they do.
For it is truly the hero who does what he must without fanfare, without acknowledgment and indeed, in the face of animosity.
Thank you Chris and all your squadmates and fellow soldiers.
I won't forget--ever.
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