Define 'war hero', name one, and tell why the person fits your definition

[Stinky The Clown]

Any war.

Any definition you choose.

Then tie your choice to your definition.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Is this an all-war-sucks, so-all-soldiers-do-too kind of thread?

EDIT: Subject typo.

[Smith_3]

4. Doesn't look like it to me.

Looks like a reasonable attempt to bring some rationality into a subject that often gets discussed on irrational grounds.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. No

[BlooInBloo]

30. Ok, thanks!

[Philosoraptor]

2. John Fitzgerald Kennedy

[Hubert Flottz]

3. Joan Baez

1967: Joan Baez arrested in Vietnam protest
Rallies across America have taken place in 30 US cities, from Boston to Atlanta, to protest against the continuing war in Vietnam.
In Oakland, California, at least 40 anti-war protesters, including the folk singer Joan Baez, were arrested for taking part in a sit-in at a military induction centre.

As many as 250 demonstrators had gathered to try and prevent conscripts from entering the building when the arrests were made.

The 'Stop the Draft Week' protests are forming part of a nationwide initiative organised by a group calling itself 'the Resistance'. MORE...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/16/newsid_2535000/2535301.stm

Joan Baez sings for anti-war protesters near Bush ranch

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — Joan Baez was against the Vietnam War and she showed it — appearing at marches, once even blocking the entrance of a military induction center.

The folk singer is against the Iraq war, too, and she showed her support Sunday to protesters camping out near President Bush's ranch.

Baez took to the stage for about 500 people on an acre lot offered by a landowner who opposes the war, performing such classic peace anthems as Song of Peace,Where Have All the Flowers Gone and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. More...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-08-22-crawford_x.htm

She has fought for what is right and good all her life and she hasn't lied to us once that I know of. The sweetest voice I've ever heard.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. Bravo. Great post.

:applause:

[Hubert Flottz]

48. Thank you,

Joe Hill (1879 - 1915)

A songwriter, itinerant laborer, and union organizer, Joe Hill became famous around the world after a Utah court convicted him of murder. Even before the international campaign to have his conviction reversed, however, Joe Hill was well known in hobo jungles, on picket lines and at workers' rallies as the author of popular labor songs and as an Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) agitator. Thanks in large part to his songs and to his stirring, well—publicized call to his fellow workers on the eve of his execution—"Don't waste time mourning, organize!"—Hill became, and he has remained, the best—known IWW martyr and labor folk hero.

Born Joel Hägglund on Oct. 7, 1879, the future "troubadour of discontent" grew up the fourth of six surviving children in a devoutly religious Lutheran family in Gävle, Sweden, where his father, Olaf, worked as a railroad conductor. Both his parents enjoyed music and often led the family in song. As a young man, Hill composed songs about members of his family, attended concerts at the workers' association hall in Gävle and played piano in a local café.

In 1887, Hill's father died from an occupational injury and the children were forced to quit school to support themselves. The 9-year-old Hill worked in a rope factory and later as a fireman on a steam-powered crane. Stricken with skin and joint tuberculosis in 1900, Hill moved to Stockholm in search of a cure and worked odd jobs while receiving radiation treatment and enduring a series of disfiguring operations on his face and neck. Two years later, Hill's mother, Margareta Katarina Hägglund, died after also undergoing a series of operations to cure a persistent back ailment. With her death, the six surviving Hägglund children sold the family home and ventured out on their own. Four of them settled elsewhere in Sweden, but the future Joe Hill and his younger brother, Paul, booked passage to the United States in 1902.

Little is known of Hill's doings or whereabouts for the next 12 years. He reportedly worked at various odd jobs in New York before striking out for Chicago, where he worked in a machine shop, got fired and was blacklisted for trying to organize a union. The record finds him in Cleveland in 1905, in San Francisco during the April 1906 Great Earthquake and in San Pedro, Calif., in 1910. There he joined the IWW, served for several years as the secretary for the San Pedro local and wrote many of his most famous songs, including "The Preacher and the Slave" and "Casey Jones—A Union Scab." His songs, appearing in the IWW's "Little Red Song Book," addressed the experience of vitually every major IWW group, from immigrant factory workers to homeless migratory workers to railway shopcraft workers. MORE...

http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/history/history/hill.cfm

Joe Hill's war still goes on today and working Americans are in just as much trouble today as they were back then. The Union Busting Bosses/robber barons who STILL fund the GOP to this day want to turn back the clock to the days when your employer held every card. For example look what Wal-Mart is doing right now. Look at the dead coal miners who died in the past couple of years because of GOP deregulation, union/middle class busting and the Bush cronies running the department of labor, DOJ, OSHA and the EPA into the ground. Think about all the blood that was shed by people like Joe Hill, and Sid Hatfield, so that you and your family could live a better life.

Joe Hill
by Joan Baez

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he,
"I never died" said he.

"The Copper Bosses killed you Joe,
they shot you Joe" says I.
"Takes more than guns to kill a man"
Says Joe "I didn't die"
Says Joe "I didn't die"

"In Salt Lake City, Joe," says I,
Him standing by my bed,
"They framed you on a murder charge,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead."

And standing there as big as life
and smiling with his eyes.
Says Joe "What they can never kill
went on to organize,
went on to organize"

From San Diego up to Maine,
in every mine and mill,
Where working men defend their rights,
it's there you find Joe Hill,
it's there you find Joe Hill!

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he,
"I never died" said he.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

49. And, one even more to the point.

(Music by Joan Baez, Lyrics by Nina Duscheck)

Farewell my wistful Saigon bride
I'm going out to stem the tide
A tide that never saw the seas
It flows through jungles, round the trees
Some say it's yellow, some say red
It will not matter when we're dead

How many dead men will it take
To build a dike that will not break?
How many children must we kill
Before we make the waves stand still?

Though miracles come high today
We have the wherewithal to pay
It takes them off the streets you know
To places they would never go alone
It gives them useful trades
The lucky boys are even paid

Men die to build their Pharoah's tombs
And still and still the teeming wombs
How many men to conquer Mars
How many dead to reach the stars?

Farewell my wistful Saigon bride
I'm going out to stem the tide
A tide that never saw the seas
It flows through jungles, round the trees
Some say it's yellow, some say red
It will not matter when we're dead

[Hubert Flottz]

54. And then there's

ALL THE WEARY MOTHERS OF THE EARTH
( PEOPLE'S UNION # 1)
(Words and Music by Joan Baez)


All the Weary Mothers of the Earth Will Finally Rest;
We Will Take Their Babies in Our Arms, and Do Our Best.
When the Sun Is Low Upon the Field,
To Love and Music They Will Yield,
And the Weary Mothers of the Earth Will Rest.

And the Farmer On His Tractor, and Beside His Plow,
Will Stand There in Confusion As We Wet His Brow
With the Tears of All the Businessmen
Who See What They Have Done to Him,
And the Weary Farmers of the Earth Shall Rest.

And the Aching Workers of the World Again Shall Sing
These Words in Mighty Choruses to All Will Bring -
"We Shall no Longer Be the Poor,
For no One Owns Us Any More,"
And the Workers of the World Again Shall Sing.

And When the Soldiers Burn Their Uniforms in Every Land,
And the Foxholes At the Borders Will Be Left Unmanned -
General, When You Come For the Review
The Troops Will Have Forgotten You,
And the Men and Women of the Earth Shall Rest.

[stellanoir]

5. A guy who can not only crash multiple planes but intercept a surface to air projectile

get taken captive, get released, become a media darling despite screwing around on his wife and screwing around with Savings & Loans, and advocating every endeavor imagined by the military industrial complex.

/sarcasm

[TwilightGardener]

6. Since I'm an Air Force wife--Jason Cunningham:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_D._Cunningham

edited for a shorter link

edit again to say: He was bleeding to death, and he knew it, but continued to work as a medic on his fellow airmen and soldiers until he grew too weak and finally died.

[stray cat]

34. Excellent reminder - there are certainly other onsung heroes like him as well

[bpj62]

7. War Hero

My best friends father. He flew 42 combats missions in WWII. 45 more in Korea. He and his wife raised 10 kids, he became the dean of the business school at a local university and he helped many young college basketball players get degrees because he was able to convince them that they wouldnt be going to the NBA. He was a second father to me and probably the best person I have ever met in my life. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetary with simple honors even though he was entitled to a flyover and a band. He is an American Hero.

[Staph]

8. Tom Bennett (friend of my sister's),

(April 7, 1947–February 11, 1969) was a U.S. Army medic and the second conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor (Desmond Doss, a medic in World War II was the first). Bennett was killed in action during the Vietnam War and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, Thomas W. Bennett was sociable and deeply religious. While a student at West Virginia University, he formed the Campus Ecumenical Council during his freshman year.

When he was placed on academic probation after the Fall 1967 semester, he considered his options should he lose his academic deferment. Deeply patriotic, but opposed to killing on religious grounds, he opted to enlist as a conscientious objector who was willing to serve. This classification is different from a conscientious objector who will not assist the military in any way. He was trained as a field medic.

Cpl. Thomas W. Bennett arrived in South Vietnam in January 1969, and was assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The unit began a series of strenuous patrols in the dense, mountainous terrain. On February 9, 1969, the unit came under intense fire, and Cpl. Bennett risked gunfire to pull at least five wounded men to safety. That evening, his platoon sergeant recommended him for the Silver Star.

Over the coming days, Cpl. Bennett repeatedly put himself in harm's way to tend to the wounded. On February 11, while attempting to reach a soldier wounded by sniper fire, Cpl. Bennett was gunned down. On April 7, 1970, his posthumous Medal of Honor was presented to his mother and stepfather by President Richard Nixon.

[IndianaJones]

10. John Ripley, Vietnam, the bridge at Dong Ha. William Dabney, Vietnam, Hill 881 south. nt.

[sofa king]

11. How about Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus?

Or "Curly," as his nickname translates. He was a farmer and occasional consul (roughly, commanding general) of Rome. Twice he was called out of retirement and made dictator of Rome, with effectively absolute power. The first time he successfully defeated the Aequians and, rather than exacting the usual terrible price for defeat, had the Aequi leaders participate in a bloodless and highly symbolic ceremony instead, which probably facilitated their eventual incorporation into the growing Roman empire.

Once the job was done, both times, Cincinnatus went back to his farm.

It's pretty obvious that George Washington took Cincinnatus as his model, refusing the more grandiose overtures made to him during and after the Revolutionary War. We don't know much about the circumstances behind Cincinnatus' retirement, but they too may have been similar to Washington's--Washington was frankly disgusted with the state of politics at the time and seemed more than happy to leave after his second term as President (both Washington and Cincinnatus may have correctly guessed that they wouldn't have been so well received for much longer, too).

[sofa king]

Also, Stanislav Petrov.

Here's a guy you don't hear about every day, but when it comes to balls, he's got 'em.

Petrov was a lowly air-defense lieutenant colonel in 1983, when Ronald Reagan was irresponsibly rattling his sword and ratcheting up the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. Soviet early-response computers detected an ICBM launch from the U.S. toward the Soviet Union. Petrov chose to ignore the detection, even though Soviet doctrine demanded an immediate full-scale nuclear retaliation. Later that same day, four more launches were detected, and Petrov refused to report those detections, too.

Had Petrov reported those detections as he was required to do, the Soviets may well have unloaded several thousand megatons of destruction on the United States. It turned out to be a computer error.

Instead, the Soviet brass couldn't decide whether to reward or punish him. He was reassigned and suffered a mental breakdown.

But, it seems he's all better now, perhaps buoyed by the knowledge that he saved the lives of many hundreds of millions of human beings. He was in New York a couple of years ago.

Edit: link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov

[Lydia Leftcoast]

32. Wow, I'd never heard that story

Good for him!

[sofa king]

38. Crazy, huh?

And it's one more reason to despise Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party. Once you know about Petrov, it's no reach to say that those bastards took us to the very brink of destruction, leaving the decision to preserve civilization as we know it to one guy on the other side.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

68. How much more heroic does it get than saving the human race?

:thumbsup:

My mind is boggled for the day.

[cobalt1999]

75. Great choice.

I saw a documentary on him a while back and I was flabbergasted. The man deserves a nobel peace prize and a huge thank you from all countries.

[sofa king]

37. A nameless Spartan

During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan king Agis II was disgraced for failing to destroy the Argives when he had the chance. He was saddled with an oversight committee that second-guessed his every move.

In 418 B.C. the Spartans invaded Mantinea and found the Argive army parked on a hill, in a very good position, which Agis rashly decided to assault anyway. According to Thucydides, 5.65:

"The Lacedaemonians (Spartans) at once advanced against them, and came on within a stone's throw or javelin's cast, when one of the older men, seeing the enemy's position to be a strong one, hallooed to Agis that he was minded to cure one evil with another; meaning that he wished to make amends for his retreat, which had been so much blamed, from Argos, by his present untimely precipitation."

Now admittedly, the Spartans were assholes second perhaps only to the Athenians whom they were fighting, attempting to destroy democracy in Greece and fighting under the hypocritical slogan "freedom for the Greeks" while eighty percent of those under Spartan control were effectively enslaved. But that one old warrior deserves credit for saving a lot of lives that day, regardless of the eventual result. (And it's worth noting that the result reverberates to this day, with the PNAC using Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War as their model for irresponsible statecraft. Right now, Dick Cheney is trying to cure one evil with another by invading Iran.)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson Jr.

He was a helicopter pilot who happened upon the My Lai massacre in progress, tried to stop it, tried to get medical assistance for the victims, and actually evacuated some children.

Also, Pfc. Herbert Carter, who shot himself in the foot rather than participate in the massacre.

[bullwinkle428]

17. D'OH! You beat me by three minutes, as I was editing my post!

:)

[Orsino]

19. You know, I deliberately left out humantarian concern for the innocent among one's non-countrymen...

...when I tried to define a war hero--but I won't argue the point. In any case, trying to save fellow troops from becoming what they are supposed to oppose is one of the highest forms of heroism. :thumbsup:

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

13. Alright I'll try...

War Hero: Someone who sees war for the folly that it is and makes some meaningful contribution toward helping others see it for what it is.

Jane Fonda, by virtue of her highly visible protesting of the Viet Nam war.

I doubt, however, that "war hero" is a label she'd care to have attached to her.

[bullwinkle428]

14. From the Vietnam War, U.S. Army helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson, Jr.

Thompson risked his own life in order to stop a war crime that involved the almost certain deaths of multiple civilians:

"Thompson took off again, and Andreotta reported that Mitchell was now executing the people in the ditch. Furious, Thompson flew over the northeast corner of the village and spotted a group of about ten civilians, including children, running toward a homemade bomb shelter. Pursuing them were soldiers from the 2nd Platoon, C Company. Realizing that the soldiers intended to murder the Vietnamese, Thompson landed his aircraft between them and the villagers. Thompson turned to Colburn and Andreotta and told them that if the Americans began shooting at the villagers or him, they should fire their M60 machine guns at the Americans:<4> "Y'all cover me! If these bastards open up on me or these people, you open up on them. Promise me!" He then dismounted to confront the 2nd Platoon's leader, Stephen Brooks. Thompson told him he wanted help getting the peasants out of the bunker:<5>"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson%2C_Jr.

[Toucano]

53. YOU WIN!

We should be naming schools and highways after this man to make sure he is never forgotten.

[edhopper]

15. George McGovern

"He volunteered for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and served as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot in the Fifteenth Air Force, flying 35 missions over enemy territory<2> from bases in North Africa and later Italy, often against heavy anti-aircraft artillery, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for saving his crew by landing his damaged bomber on a British airfield on Vis, a small island off the Yugoslav coast controlled by Tito's Partisans. McGovern's wartime story, including his island landing, is at the center of Stephen Ambrose's profile of the men who flew B-24s over Germany in World War II, The Wild Blue."

And, of course, John Kerry.



Also G W Bush, he probably saved a lot of American lives by NOT going to Vietnam :-)

[islandmkl]

16. alvin york....

read his bio...even the movie was good (Gary Cooper)...

wild youth, raised in a pacifistic household, who only 'calmed down' after the violent death of one of his friends...

applied for conscientious objector status in WWI...was not granted...

went on to receive Medal of Honor in a truly 'hollywood-style' manner...under heavy enemy fire, saving men, capturing enemy soldiers, etc....fairly single-handedly...

in his diary, which he kept for every day from his induction through his discharge, he addresses the desire to have the 'enemy surrender instead of killing them' during his one-man assault on a machine-gun nest...

a fairly technical assessment of the events, especially from the german side of things, is found at:

http://www.historynet.com/alvin-york-and-the-meuse-argonne-offensive.htm

[baldguy]

74. yep

[Orsino]

18. Someone who risks life and/or limb to a much greater extent than the norm...

...to defeat an enemy or to support an ally, as part of a nation's regular forces--or the most regular available. Or something.

McCain's having dropped some bombs may not qualify him, but his turning down an easy way out of the POW camp probably does. The Navy awarded him the DSC (heroism) and the Silver Star ("gallantry in action"), so he could, if he were so immodest, term himself a war hero.

His subsequent decades of traitorous disregard for his fellow service members and citizens rather cancels out whatever he may have done on or above a battlefield, in my view. It's ludicrous, in my opinion, to talk of his war heroics without mentioning his years of cowardly betrayal of his nation.

[DailyGrind51]

20. Lt. Col. Anthony Herbert, Vietnam War

A career soldier who was willing to throw away his lifetime of military service by blowing the whistle on American war crimes in Vietnam.

http://www.joebageant.com/joe/2007/04/remembering_col.html

My definition of a "war hero" is someone willing to transcend self-interest to preserve the lives of his fellow military in harms' way and/or the honor and integrity of what they represent.

[Generic Other]

22. My father carried a wounded kid across enemy lines during WW2

10 miles. In the dead of winter. Battle of the Bulge. He got a medal for his efforts.
I think he's a hero.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

23. Mohammad Ali. As a conscientious objector he risked going to prison than to serve in Vietnam.

[islandmkl]

24. after some reflection:

how does one become 'anything' where killing is involved...

'saving lives' by killing others?

killing to 'save a way of life' versus 'killing to stop domination'?

facing danger 'head on' while one has the same ability to inflict death on that danger?

when two 'moments of personal courage' collide...who is the hero?

[arcadian]

25. There are no such things as 'heroes', To believe in such things, is to give into primitive thought.

Divine attributes in human beings simply do not exist nor does the divine. When does somebody obtain the moniker "hero"? Will that person always lay claim to that title? What if somebody maliciously kills somebody one day and the next saves a 100 lives? Is this person a "hero"? The term hero is surrounded by the loss of life or the potential for loss of life, either accidental or deliberate. Saving a life, taking a life to save a life, giving of one's own life. It's all so Hellenistic.

Heroes are constructs that humans have come up with to make sense of their existence. The potential to perform so called "heroic" deeds exists within all of us which essentially relegates it to the mundane. If I stop out in the middle of nowhere to help somebody change a tire at 1:00 am, I'd prefer a 'hey, I'd do the same for you too' response rather than a 'you're my hero!' response. Which I guess is more a kin to "karma", another misunderstood ancient concept which is more about introspection than overt acts.

[stray cat]

35. and no good or bad people - Would you really sacrifice your life for a stranger

I'm not sure I could say I would have done the same for you

[Gabi Hayes]

41. there is no such thing as life. even if there was, there are many here among us

who feel that life is but a joke

[Kajsa]

47. The potential is there, but how many utilize it?

Your quote,

" The potential to perform so called "heroic" deeds exists within all of us which essentially relegates it to the mundane."

I disagree that it can be relegated to the mundane,
when only a percentage act on the ability
to perform " heroic deeds".

Sadly, the measure of this attribute changes with time.

What was once considered common sense and helping ones fellow
human beings (and animals), is often considered heroic if measured against
the indifference and fear of involvement that many have.

[alfredo]

51. strip off all your clothes and what is left is an ape.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. All the people who refuse to participate in the insanity of war.

"The pioneers of a warless world are the young men (and women) who refuse military service." Albert Einstein

[Gabi Hayes]

44. thank you....all those who went to prison, rather than support our illegal war in Vietnam, just

to single out one group

Bill Harris, Joan Baez's ex husband, was one of those

[Gabi Hayes]

27. my father: fought the germans, rose from a 21 year old private to platoon sergeant

in a month....that's how vicious the fighting was....

shrapnel wound in knee, went back to combat in less than a week

hit by hand grenade on a bridge in belgium....year in the hospital, 80% permanent disability. inoperable bits of shrapnel all up and down his spine....horrible wounds, chunks of his body missing forever

two purple hearts

he fought the nazis; McCain is a nazi, a hero poseur: a mass murderer, who slaughtered innocents, and now supports the same sort of filthy monsters my father fought AGAINST

[Marnieworld]

28. John Kerry

Watch Goin' Up River and you'll find out what a hero is. In war and most certainly afterwards. He fought for his brothers with his whole heart and he does to this very day.

On edit: My definition of a hero would be someone who rose to the dangerous and unpredictable challenges before them with courage and usually it involves risking your own safety for the good of others or the greater mission. I mentioned Kerry because he was known to have done this.

[MBS]

55. yup. He showed courage in three ways

. . in his decision to volunteer for Vietnam, in his courage in the war itself, AND in his courage to find to end the war when he came home.

[old mark]

29. SSG Roy P. Benavidez, 5th Special Forces Group.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in May of 1968. He voluntarily boarded a helicopter heading to rescue a Special Forces team that was surrounded and under heavy fire in Vietnam. He ran 75 meters to the team, wounded at least 3 times along the way. In this engamement, he was wounded at least ten times, saved at least 8 his SF team, and rescued all remaining at the landing zone. He was barely alive when he was pulled aboard the last helicopter leaving the site.

He survived the incident, and I saw him in 1969 in the US when I was in the Army.

Google his name and you will be impressed with this man.

mark

[RaleighNCDUer]

31. Audie Murphy.

Most decorated soldier of WWII. Put his life on the line numerous times, above and beyond the call of duty. His actions saved the lives of any number of his fellow soldiers.

And not a terrible actor, either.

[treestar]

33. I wish we could quit glorifying it over any other type of hero

A person does what they have to do in a situation. Any of us might have done the same had we ended up in combat. We should not grant extra authority to people because they have been in a certain place at a certain time and were a certain age.

As for the U.S. imperialistic wars, protesting them and refusing to go is more heroic than just going. No offense to the draftees, that is probably what I would have unheroically done too. It takes more guts than most of us have to go against authority when they are wrong but older than you are.

[stray cat]

36. or minimize it over a non-military courageous or sacrificial act?

Courage and sacrifice is rare enough it should be honored and appreciated where ever it occurs.

[endthewar]

39. George Washington, William Wallace, Leonidas and ?

George Washington - Inspired troops when their morale was as low as it could possibly get. Endless sacrifice for his troops.

William Wallace - Inspired his troops when the odds were against him.

Leonidas - Superb military strategist to hold off a much larger army with only 300 Spartans.

? - Can't remember his name. The king of a nation during the Roman Empire era who developed the strategy to counteract the deadly horse chariots of the Egyptian Army. He had a memorable battle against heavy odds and his military strategy delivered an unlikely victory.


Notice that none of these people are "reverse aces". Getting shot down 5 times a war hero does not make. :rofl:

[OmahaBlueDog]

40. Daniel Ken Inouye

.. from his Medal of Honor Citation

"Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 21 April 1945, in the vicinity of San Terenzo, Italy. While attacking a defended ridge guarding an important road junction, Second Lieutenant Inouye skillfully directed his platoon through a hail of automatic weapon and small arms fire, in a swift enveloping movement that resulted in the capture of an artillery and mortar post and brought his men to within 40 yards of the hostile force. Emplaced in bunkers and rock formations, the enemy halted the advance with crossfire from three machine guns. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Second Lieutenant Inouye crawled up the treacherous slope to within five yards of the nearest machine gun and hurled two grenades, destroying the emplacement. Before the enemy could retaliate, he stood up and neutralized a second machine gun nest. Although wounded by a sniper’s bullet, he continued to engage other hostile positions at close range until an exploding grenade shattered his right arm. Despite the intense pain, he refused evacuation and continued to direct his platoon until enemy resistance was broken and his men were again deployed in defensive positions. In the attack, 25 enemy soldiers were killed and eight others captured. By his gallant, aggressive tactics and by his indomitable leadership, Second Lieutenant Inouye enabled his platoon to advance through formidable resistance, and was instrumental in the capture of the ridge. Second Lieutenant Inouye’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Inouye


Of course, all those Ollie North supporters failed to note that when they sent hate mail to Inouye over the Iran-Contra hearings.

[SidDithers]

42. Romeo Dallaire...

http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2005/01/dallaire.html

For humanitarian efforts (largely unsuccessful) in Rwanda.

Sid

[Gabi Hayes]

43. not 'war' in the conventional sense, but war in the sense that his government waged war on its

citizens:

[Avalux]

45. Both of my grandfathers.

One fought the Germans (he was German himself; difficult for him) and one was a marine at Tarawa and survived while so many of his friends died beside him. They were both gone from their families for years; came home, went back to work and rarely discussed what they'd been through.

Their 'stories' (the ones I know of) break my heart. They were asked to serve and they did.

[alfredo]

46. Colonel Lewis (blood and guts) Millett

He was my commander at Fort Devens when I was learning to be a spook. His leadership, his love for his troops was a real inspiration. I learned a lot about leadership and ethics from him, and I am in debt to him. He was not a yes man, and that prevented him from becoming a General.

He was proud that he never got the good Conduct Medal.

Read this citation below.

http://www.datasync.com/~bouchard/civilwar/MaineMOH.html

MILLETT, LEWIS L.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company E, 27th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Vicinity of Soam-Ni, Korea, 7 February 1951. Entered service at: Mechanic Falls, Maine. Born: 15 December 1920, Mechanic Falls, Maine. G.O. No.: 69, 2 August 1951. Citation: Capt. Millett, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. While personally leading his company in an attack against a strongly held position he noted that the 1st Platoon was pinned down by small-arms, automatic, and antitank fire. Capt. Millett ordered the 3d Platoon forward, placed himself at the head of the 2 platoons, and, with fixed bayonet, led the assault up the fire-swept hill. In the fierce charge Capt. Millett bayoneted 2 enemy soldiers and boldly continued on, throwing grenades, clubbing and bayoneting the enemy, while urging his men forward by shouting encouragement. Despite vicious opposing fire, the whirlwind hand-to-hand assault carried to the crest of the hill. His dauntless leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild disorder. During this fierce onslaught Capt. Millett was wounded by grenade fragments but refused evacuation until the objective was taken and firmly secured. The superb leadership, conspicuous courage, and consummate devotion to duty demonstrated by Capt. Millett were directly responsible for the successful accomplishment of a hazardous mission and reflect the highest credit on himself and the heroic traditions of the military service.

His son was one of those servicemen killed in the Gander Newfoundland crash. I believe his grand daughter was one of the first female students at the Citadel.


Here's a page on him, with a picture as I remember him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_L._Millett

[KansDem]

50. Corporal Lewis K. Bausell

CITATION: Medal of Honor Recipient

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving the First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division, during action against the enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu island, Palau group, 15 September 1944. Valiantly placing himself at the head of his squad, Corporal Bausell led the charge forward against a hostile pillbox which was covering a vital sector of the beach and, as the first to reach the emplacement, immediately started firing his automatic into the aperture while the remainder of his men closed in on the enemy. Swift to act, a Japanese grenade was hurled into their midst, Corporal Bausell threw himself on the deadly weapon, taking the full blast of the explosion and sacrificing his own life to save his men. His unwavering loyalty and inspiring courage reflect the highest credit upon Corporal Bausell and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

http://www.ussbausell.com/


USS BAUSELL

My dad served aboard the USS Bausell during the Korean conflict. Growing up, I learned about Cpl. Bausell and equated "Bausell" with "heroism."

But perhaps his selflessness and devotion to others would have been evident in civilian life as well.

[Gabi Hayes]

52. George W. Bush. he kept us safe from

Caribbean invaders

[Hangingon]

56. A couple more

Michael J. Novosel - WWII, Korea and Vietnam

Robin Olds - WWII and Vietnam

[otherlander]

57. Smedley Darlington Butler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_is_a_racket

[dixiegrrrrl]

58. Daniel Ellsberg

for writing the Pentagon Papers, which uncovered the secret history of America's involvement in Viet-Nam, creating an epic battle between the WH and freedom of the press,
which resulted in "the most important Supreme Court case ever on freedom of the press."

Happened 30 years ago, those of us then young and energetically involved in the Peace movement know
what a courageous stand Ellsberg took then. He faced the entire US government and would not back down.

[bdab1973]

59. Robert Gould Shaw

He fought two wars at once...the Civil War, and the war against discrimination. He volunteered to be a commander of the first all-black regiments in the Army, not a popular thing to do, even in the Union north. The movie Glory is based on several accounts and his own letters home to his family. He volunteered his regiment to lead the charge on Battery Wagner in South Carolina, simply because he wanted to show his superiors that his men could fight just as valiantly as white soldiers. Despite being the lead regiment, they were the only regiment to gain access to the battery. Robert Shaw was killed in the fighting, leading his men, then buried in a common grave with his black soldiers as a sign of disrespect (officers' bodies were generally returned to their families for proper burial). After the war, his family was offered assistance in relocating his body but they decided to let him rest with his regiment, thinking he'd prefer that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gould_Shaw

[Clark2008]

60. Gen. Wesley K. Clark

Clark was assigned a position in the 1st Infantry Division and flew to Vietnam on May 21, 1969 during the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He worked as a staff officer, collecting data and helping in operations planning, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his work with the staff.

Clark was then given command of A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division in January 1970.

In February, only one month into his command, he was shot four times by a Viet Cong soldier with an AK-47. The wounded Clark shouted orders to his men, who counterattacked and defeated the Viet Cong force. Clark had injuries to his right shoulder, right hand, right hip, and right leg, and was sent to Valley Forge Army Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania to recuperate. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the encounter.

[Mudoria]

61. Michael Monsoor

Rank and Organization: Master-At-Arms Second Class (Sea, Air And Land), United States Navy
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as automatic weapons gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 29 September 2006. As a member of a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army Sniper Overwatch Element, tasked with providing early warning and stand-off protection from a rooftop in an insurgent held sector of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer Monsoor distinguished himself by his exceptional bravery in the face of grave danger. In the early morning, insurgents prepared to execute a coordinated attack by reconnoitering the area around the element’s position. Element snipers thwarted the enemy’s initial attempt by eliminating two insurgents. The enemy continued to assault the element, engaging them with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. As enemy activity increased, Petty Officer Monsoor took position with his machine gun between two teammates on an outcropping of the roof. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor’s chest and landed in front of him. Although only he could have escaped the blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead to protect his teammates. Instantly and without regard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of his two teammates. By his undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

[cliffordu]

73. Yep. General Clark is one.

[ColbertWatcher]

62. Admiral James Stockdale.

I wrote a bit about him in my journal:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/ColbertWatcher/51

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stockdale#Prisoner_of_war">Wikip*dia:

Locked in leg irons in a bath stall, he was routinely tortured and beaten. When told by his captors that he was to be paraded in public, Stockdale slit his scalp with a razor to purposely disfigure himself so that his captors could not use him as propaganda. When they covered his head with a hat, Stockdale beat himself with a stool until his face was swollen beyond recognition. He told them in no uncertain terms that they would never use him. When Stockdale heard that other prisoners were dying under the torture, he slit his wrists and told them that he preferred death to submission.

Check out my journal (or Wikip*dia) for more.

[ColbertWatcher]

63. First Lieutenant Ehren Watada.

Ehren believed "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to be

"...illegal and that, under the doctrine of command responsibility, it would make him party to war crimes."

He refused to deploy to Iraq for his unit's assigned rotation and was arrested and court-martialled not once, but twice. The first court martial ended in a mistrial because Watada argued that his orders were unlawful. The second was stayed when the judge ruled that Watada's double jeopardy claim was "meritorious".

He faced four years in prison and is the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq.

Read more about him at his Wikip*dia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehren_Watada">here

Thank Lt. Watada here.

[mtnester]

64. My Grandpa

He was a WWII SeaBee in the Pacific Theater

His job was to help build runways, etc before even the marines came in (they built them so they COULD come in)

His primary job? Sniper..he was to keep the Japanese soldiers from killing too many of his friends while they built the runways for the Marines.

He came back from that war and drank for years. He had a heart attack, quit drinking cold turkey, made apologies to a lot of people. And still lives with PTSD.

He will be 87 his next birthday. He won't talk about it STILL...we have very little info, and don't expect to get much. He simply refuses to speak of the Japanese...we have no idea how many he killed, or how many of his friends died while he watched and tried to find the shooter. I cannot imagine the guilt he has, or the stress, or the stored trauma of watching humans die, and killing them himself.

He still cannot finish the body filled surf story, we still don't know what island and what ship. We suspect Tarawa. His story about his final shore leave, and what they were being told, and where they were being shipped (Germany had already surrendered) indicated he knew damn well that the allied forces were about to completely invade Japan...and the casualty loss was going to be astronomical. He speaks about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which happened during his leave, when he and all the Pacific Theater and the returning Atlantic theater were all being shipped to California (he was sent home for 2 days, then back to San Diego) They all knew where they were going, the deployment was going to be massive, and after even surviving the islands, they knew they would never survive the invasion of the Japanese mainland. Nagasaki and Hiroshima, although horrible, were the reprieve of an almost certain death sentence for him, and he knew it. He always said he has no way to resolve that in his mind, so he refuses to think about it.

My grandpa was in for the ENTIRE war.

I love him. I wish he would tell me more..I do not think he will. I would never press him or guilt him into doing so.

On edit - I consider he and every single person that ever went to war a hero, no matter the outcome or why, regular people. I don't know if I could do it...seriously. He survived and is not completely insane from it...hero in my mind.

[TahitiNut]

65. John Levitow ... I personally saw it happen on February 24, 1969 ... right above my position.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Levitow

[Stinky The Clown]

69. You've posted this before.

It made an impression on me. Quite a story. It fits perfectly well in this thread. Thanks for the reminder. :thumbsup:

[LWolf]

66. These guys are war heroes:

http://www.veteransforpeace.org/

So is this guy:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/07/oregon_soldier_sentenced_for_b.html

Heroes are those who will stand up for others, lift up others.

Waging war is not the act of a hero; of course, those who wage war aren't soldiers.

Any person who has stood up for others during and within a war in order to provide safety to others can be considered a "war hero" in some sense, even though those terms don't really go together.

[canetoad]

67. Edward 'Weary' Dunlop

Aussie WW2 doctor, prisoner of war, community worker.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Dunlop

A courageous leader and compassionate doctor, he restored morale in those terrible prison camps and jungle hospitals. Dunlop defied his captors, gave hope to the sick and eased the anguish of the dying. He became, in the words of one of his men, "a lighthouse of sanity in a universe of madness and suffering". His example was one of the reasons why Australian survival rates were the highest.

[wisteria]

70. Senator John Kerry

Not only did he volunteer to serve his country in Vietnam, while he was fighting the enemy he saved lives and countered the enemy with a new military tactic.
And, after all he had done to protect and serve his country and help his fellow soldiers, he came home an angry man. Angry about a war that our leaders had lied us into and to save face would not end. A war that was wrong and un-winnable. He became a leader and spokesman for a group of Vietnam Vets who carried the same resentment and scars from their time at war. As their spokesperson, John Kerry put his reputation, livelihood and life on the line to speak out about the wrongs done in Vietnam and to demand our country admit their mistakes and put an end to the tragedy so that not one more soldier would die for a mistake.

Senator John Kerry embodies what I call a real hero. And, even today he stands up against what is wrong and fights to have the truth be heard.

[datasuspect]

71. Kazimierz Pulaski

Congress named him "Commander of the Horse" in the noble revolt against the Crown.

[blonndee]

72. My grandpa, in WWII.

My definition of a "war hero" is not someone who loves war; instead, it is someone who hates war but is willing to fight and die for a cause that is just and which cannot be resolved otherwise, and does so. It is someone who is thoughtful enough to have considered just what s/he is committing to and realizes the cost to her/himself, her/his family, and others on the "opposing" side. Finally, it is someone who is doing this not for self-glorification but on behalf of others and who is willing to make tough decisions and be accountable for them, and does so. I'm sure I'm missing something, or many things.

My grandpa was in the 45th Infantry and he was a staff sergeant (maybe a MSGT at the end.) He was about the oldest man in his group/platoon/unit (sorry, I never can remember what to call each group) and when he was sought out to take tests and train for intelligence (spying) he refused because he said that his "boys" needed someone older and with more experience to look out for them. So he ended up spending a LOT of time in the muck and blood, and saw and did some things that I can't even imagine surviving mentally or physically. He also refused to obey "stupid and ignorant" orders from higher-ups who weren't on the ground, more than once. He did one thing on behalf of his unit that no human should ever have to do and which many almost certainly could not. It was a major sacrifice and a sort of "Sophie's choice" situation, and I'm sure that it haunted him forever. I won't post what it was here because I don't want to upset anyone and because I don't want to hear brave keyboard warriors condemning him for it. I will say that he never told anyone but my grandma about it, and I only know about it because she confided in my dad, who told me so that I might know better who my granddad was and WHY he was the way he was.

[Seeking Serenity]

76. George Washington, hands down.

If you have to ask why, you don't know your history.