Is the American Hero Dead?

The word "HERO" is the most overused word in the English language today which
in my opinion cheapens the true meaning of the word. Professional athletes are
put forth as "heroes" by the media today just because they have excellent skills
at the game they perform be it basketball, football, baseball or other sports games.
Hollywood A list movie actors are even given "hero" status by some people in the
media. These athletes and movie actors are well known and wealthy people having
earned millions of dollars in their profession but being called a "hero" cheapens that
word for those who actually earn the right to have that honor. I believe the true "heroes"
are those people who respond to life and death situations every day across America with
some placing their own lives in harms way to help others they do not even know.
Thousands of these true "heroes" have been killed in the line of duty over the years but
their names are unknown by most of America. Then there are those people who volunteer
to be placed in harms way enlisting in our nation's military service. True American "heroes"
who earn that title are still with us today. They just do not receive the recognition and media
hype of others who never earned that honor.

Interesting, thought provoking read. Don't know the age of the writer but I could certainly qualify as his father if not grandfather. Are the hero's he refers to my father or grandfather? I ask this because when I could have become his father those of us in the military were hardly looked upon as heros. It was only after the first gulf war that the military began to be looked upon as hero's again. So the real question is what does he consider a hero? I think that today's society is not capable of comprehending the type of heros that existed at the end of WWII. Everything these days is too self centered and a hero is more associated with the three digit salary type of individual.

No it seems everyone is a hero now days