Abigail's "America's Heroes" essay

A blood-curdling woman’s scream pierces through New York’s evening air. Startled pedestrians and rushed taxi drivers look toward the source of the yell. The source is a woman falling from the top of a skyscraper. But then, before everyone’s eyes, they see him coming to her rescue …. “Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound…….” Superman has become our image of a hero. However, to be a hero, did our historical and present heroes have to be another version of Superman? What truly makes a hero? Who are our heroes? Are there still heroes today?

Obviously, if you look at the average person, they probably are not bodily fit to enough to replace Superman. Although there are many heroes who had exceptional physical ability, there also are countless other heroes who may have been ill or disabled in some other manner. Their weakness did not prohibit them from being courageous! Not all heroes are recognized. Some are just people trying to fulfill a need, restore justice, or make a difference in one person’s life. They may be like Doctor William T. G. Morton, the first man to use a surgical anesthetic, ether. He simply desired to enable people to have surgery without the pain. He made a difference in millions of lives, and he didn’t need political power or military strength to do it! No certain abilities are necessary to be a hero, because it is not what you are capable of that makes you a hero, but what you do.

There always has to be a cause, motive, or purpose behind someone who is bound to act heroically. People who do extraordinary feats for their own glory are not real heroes. A hero is someone who defends and even endangers their welfare for what they believe will benefit others. We don’t always value the same causes. Thus, in your eyes, a hero is someone who stands up for what you think is important, no matter how controversial the issue is. To a Jewish Holocaust survivor, their hero may be someone like Corrie Ten Boom, who endangered her life for save Jewish souls. To an African-American, their hero may be Harriet Tubman, also called “Moses”, who led hundreds of slaves north to freedom. What types of people are your heroes? Who are America’s heroes?

What certain cause do all U.S. citizens believe in? When you think about America, we may have great athletes, a world famous movie industry in Hollywood and an influential say in world issues, but these are not the essence of the United States. What made and still makes the U.S. attractive to immigrants? America is called “the Land of Opportunity” because we have what the Declaration of Independence defined as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” As we know, freedom comes with a cost. We are secure, free to live our own lives and pursue our dreams because we have soldiers defending our cause.

There are many heroes in America, but there is one group that stands out. It is not because they are the fastest, or most powerful, or able to do extraordinary feats, but because of their selfless devotion to us. For his selfless attempt to save a comrade, Sergeant 1st Class Jared C. Monti was recently awarded the Medal of Honor. Soldiers like Monti, who care about their fellow countrymen, are still serving today. They are men who fight through a constant rain of bullets. In times past, they boarded locomotives, and with their faces pressed against the window, strained to catch a last glimpse of their family. Men and women serve today so that nothing like what happened to those tall buildings in New York will ever happen again. Yes, America, you still have heroes.
Abigail, age 13