Unacknowledged heroism (op-ed)
As a child I read about heroes -- superheroes. One was a reporter another a lawyer but when heroism was needed they stripped their profession’s attire and flew into action. What made them super? Extraordinary capabilities. What made them heroes? Risking their lives to help others when they didn’t have to.
I also read about heroes as an adult, but they were professionals -- soldiers. What made them extraordinary? Bravery in battle. What made them heroes? Making the ultimate sacrifice.
Recently I read about a young man in the security profession who was shot and killed on duty at a bar. A year ago a shooter killed one man and injured four others at the same bar. The young security officer, who entered the field to emulate his father, just started working at the bar and was on duty during this shooting. After the incident the young man didn’t change fields or quit the troubled bar for a safer work environment. He stuck with it. The shooting was a learning experience.
I find this fact extraordinary.
A lot of people would have conducted a wage/risk analysis after the shooting and concluded the wage paid was not worth the risk of life. Those people, and no one can fault them, would not be employed at the same place a year later.
What happened a year later? A person got a handgun past the bar’s entrance metal detection. A patron inside notice a man was armed. The young security officer was informed, confronted the man, and from that point witness statements conflict. Ultimately, security attempted to escort the man off the premises, there was a scuffle, gun shots rang, and finally the security officer was down.
Could this of been avoided? After security assessed the situation couldn’t he have discretely called the police or had the police called, meet the police outside, informed them of the danger, and let the police confront the armed man? Wouldn’t this action still have fulfilled the security officer’s job requirements? Yes, but remember the security officer witnessed a man lose his life while he was on duty when he first entered the field and was inexperienced. I wonder if he felt he could have prevented that incident. Is that the reason why he continued to secure the bar? How many other people did this security officer have to escort out in between the first shooting and the fatal one that cost him his life? And more importantly how many shooting did his presence prevent?
We’ll never know.
All we need to know is a young man risked and lost his life to prevent another person from losing theirs while he was on duty. This is heroism, but it won’t be formally acknowledged.
Why?
Because in our society heroism has become professionalized it’s reserved for professions that wear the uniform of the government, especially soldiers. I understand the history behind the professionalism. When soldiers returned from Vietnam they weren’t greeted with a heroes welcome. Anti-war demonstrators spat on them and called them baby killers. (This is why modern war protesters always said, “They supported the troops but not the war.”) Afterwards the draft ended and military service became a voluntary profession. Great!
But did you ever meet a professional hero?
I have. I was introduced to a young man in the Air Force. I was told he just returned from the Middle East. Since he was in the Air Force he most likely returned from Saudi Arabia. In other words he wasn’t in Iraq. But immediately after our introduction he told me, “No need to thank me for what I did for you over there.”
I replied, “I wasn’t.”
The arrogance of the Airman was nothing but unprofessional heroism. Membership in the military alone does not make one a hero. Acts like the young security officer who went
beyond his job description to honor a higher purpose makes him one. But it won’t be acknowledged because our society has not professionalized heroism for his field.
First publsihed at The New Pittsburgh Courier 3/11/17
I also read about heroes as an adult, but they were professionals -- soldiers. What made them extraordinary? Bravery in battle. What made them heroes? Making the ultimate sacrifice.
Recently I read about a young man in the security profession who was shot and killed on duty at a bar. A year ago a shooter killed one man and injured four others at the same bar. The young security officer, who entered the field to emulate his father, just started working at the bar and was on duty during this shooting. After the incident the young man didn’t change fields or quit the troubled bar for a safer work environment. He stuck with it. The shooting was a learning experience.
I find this fact extraordinary.
A lot of people would have conducted a wage/risk analysis after the shooting and concluded the wage paid was not worth the risk of life. Those people, and no one can fault them, would not be employed at the same place a year later.
What happened a year later? A person got a handgun past the bar’s entrance metal detection. A patron inside notice a man was armed. The young security officer was informed, confronted the man, and from that point witness statements conflict. Ultimately, security attempted to escort the man off the premises, there was a scuffle, gun shots rang, and finally the security officer was down.
Could this of been avoided? After security assessed the situation couldn’t he have discretely called the police or had the police called, meet the police outside, informed them of the danger, and let the police confront the armed man? Wouldn’t this action still have fulfilled the security officer’s job requirements? Yes, but remember the security officer witnessed a man lose his life while he was on duty when he first entered the field and was inexperienced. I wonder if he felt he could have prevented that incident. Is that the reason why he continued to secure the bar? How many other people did this security officer have to escort out in between the first shooting and the fatal one that cost him his life? And more importantly how many shooting did his presence prevent?
We’ll never know.
All we need to know is a young man risked and lost his life to prevent another person from losing theirs while he was on duty. This is heroism, but it won’t be formally acknowledged.
Why?
Because in our society heroism has become professionalized it’s reserved for professions that wear the uniform of the government, especially soldiers. I understand the history behind the professionalism. When soldiers returned from Vietnam they weren’t greeted with a heroes welcome. Anti-war demonstrators spat on them and called them baby killers. (This is why modern war protesters always said, “They supported the troops but not the war.”) Afterwards the draft ended and military service became a voluntary profession. Great!
But did you ever meet a professional hero?
I have. I was introduced to a young man in the Air Force. I was told he just returned from the Middle East. Since he was in the Air Force he most likely returned from Saudi Arabia. In other words he wasn’t in Iraq. But immediately after our introduction he told me, “No need to thank me for what I did for you over there.”
I replied, “I wasn’t.”
The arrogance of the Airman was nothing but unprofessional heroism. Membership in the military alone does not make one a hero. Acts like the young security officer who went
beyond his job description to honor a higher purpose makes him one. But it won’t be acknowledged because our society has not professionalized heroism for his field.
First publsihed at The New Pittsburgh Courier 3/11/17
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