I've never really considered anyone my hero. I admire lots of people and aspire to emulate them in various ways. However, I'd never classify any of them as a hero. Then sometimes various life situations really show you what people are made of and a hero is born.
As a member of the SC Army National Guard since 2001, my brother Brian has readily given a weekend every month and 2 weeks a year to perform his job as a citizen soldier. Often times, he was giving much more time than that for various trainings. In 2004 just as Brian was announcing his engagement and the impending birth of his first child, he also announced that his unit was being deployed. He was off to Kuwait for a year. While he was away, his son (my nephew) Keith was born. Brian came home when Keith was 9 months old and went back to his job. He continued to stay in the Guard because he truly loves it.
Fast forward to 2009. Brian informs us that his unit is again being deployed in January 2010. Destination- Afghanistan. This pill was hard to swallow. His time in Kuwait was fairly uneventful- always a good thing in a war zone. Afghanistan is a different setting entirely. All I could think was that my brother would be hunting Bin Laden in the mountains and trying to avoid suicide bombers. Not something one wants to ponder as they hug their loved one goodbye. Oh, did I mention that his second child was going to be born while he was halfway around the world? Grace Kay arrived in March.
Fast forward to November 12, 2010. I woke up at 4:40AM to make sure I was at the Columbia Airport at 5:30 to welcome my brother home. I'm not a morning person at all! But I jumped out of bed when the alarm went off! I couldn't wait to see Brian with my own 2 eyes and give him a big hug. You see, he was coming home. This tour was officially over. The mission had been carried out.
Why do I consider Brian my hero? He willingly chose to serve his country both at home and abroad. He could have gotten out after his first deployment, but he felt a calling. He considers himself nothing more than an American doing his job. Yet he has sacrificed personal experiences (like being present at the births of his 2 children) to do his job. He put himself in harm's way so that I can sit in my home and type whatever I want on my blog and not worry about being arrested. He carries a gun in dessert heat and looks out for potential bombers so that we can complain about our elected officials and have an opportunity to vote them out of office.
Nothing I ever do will be that awe inspiring. I'll never wear a uniform and put myself in between a bullet and my battle buddy. I'll never have to respond to enemy fire at the end of a seemingly peaceful day. But people like my brother and the men & women in his unit make those decisions every day, and they ask for nothing in return. Because of these men and women, we live in freedom. Now that is what I call the actions of a hero. You can bet that this Thanksgiving and Christmas season will be celebrated like never before in our family. Our soldier came home. For that, I will be forever grateful!
