thedrifter
01-15-09, 07:15 AM
Heroes make us all want to be better
Comments
January 15, 2009
I've been thinking about heroes a lot these days -- ever since December when I watched a couple rows of them sitting in the front seats of the Paramount Theater, wearing their age spots and medals with equal pride as they were honored for their service during World War II.
In addition to jubilation, the evening also featured a nasty winter storm. And because the roads were treacherous for many seniors, I had the privilege of transporting one of them -- Russell Diefenbach -- to the event. It was a spectacular celebration and everyone at The Beacon News was proud as punch to be part of it. But it was afterward, for me, where the real magic took place. With the snow swirling angrily around us and the heater on full blast, Mr. Diefenbach and I sat in the front seat of my car for a good 30 minutes after we had pulled into his driveway, and he told me some of his amazing experiences as a 19-year-old Marine fighting Japanese soldiers on the island of Peleliu.
"I didn't mean to go on and on," he said after we chatted. "I didn't want to bore you, but one of the things about getting old is you sometimes don't know when to stop talking."
Go on and on? Bore me?
That half-hour in time is one I shall always remember -- I still clearly see his eyes watering as he talked about bringing flags to the homes of our local Marines serving abroad -- and one I shall always treasure.
One thing I'm reminded of every year as I write columns for this newspaper is that heroes don't think of themselves as extraordinary in any way. Ron Battiato probably didn't see himself as special when this Air Angels paramedic threw his body over the sick baby he and his crew were transporting when their medical helicopter crashed into the ground in Aurora last October.
That final act "wouldn't surprise me at all," Provena Mercy Medical Center's EMS coordinator Scott Vance told me about the paramedic he'd worked with in so many emergency situations. "He was that kind of person."
Heroes, I've also learned, come in all ages. Teenagers Ashley Souba and Bryan Worden, who battled cancer through most of their high school years, inspired so many of their peers they were both crowned Batavia's homecoming king and queen -- then were crowned again at the school's 2008 prom.
Why? Because they "taught so many people about courage and facing adversity," said classmate Julie Ewing.
Heroism doesn't have to involve life and death. Think Dan Dolan, an Aurora real estate developer who dedicated almost every spare moment of his free time last year to organizing a massive community food drive. Or Florence Swope of unincorporated Kendall County, who turned her underage son in to police when she found out he'd been drinking -- then aggressively pushed reluctant cops to go after the parents who she insisted allowed the booze in their homes.
The thing about heroes is they make you want to be a better person. To stand up for what you believe in. To take risks. To get more involved. To be more compassionate, more courageous. To stop whining about the minor irritants in your life.
My job has allowed me the privilege of meeting many of these extraordinary people. But we can all be inspired by them because there are hundreds of them among us.
And we'd like to hear some of their stories.
The last couple of years our call-out for "Amazing People" led to a deluge of responses from readers for our annual Progress editions. For 2009, we're going to shine the spotlight on extraordinary people again -- only with a slight twist: The Beacon News wants to honor "Hometown Heroes" -- those who live and work in our cities, towns or villages who epitomize the spirit of the community in which they live.
As dark and depressing news continues to dominate our headlines, this year more than ever we need to celebrate those who light up our lives. Take a moment to look around you. Then take another 30 minutes (or less) to write down what it is that makes them so inspiring.
I promise, it will be time well spent -- and forever treasured.
Denise Crosby is senior editor for content of Fox Valley Publications, which publishes the Fox Valley Villages Sun.
Ellie
Comments
January 15, 2009
I've been thinking about heroes a lot these days -- ever since December when I watched a couple rows of them sitting in the front seats of the Paramount Theater, wearing their age spots and medals with equal pride as they were honored for their service during World War II.
In addition to jubilation, the evening also featured a nasty winter storm. And because the roads were treacherous for many seniors, I had the privilege of transporting one of them -- Russell Diefenbach -- to the event. It was a spectacular celebration and everyone at The Beacon News was proud as punch to be part of it. But it was afterward, for me, where the real magic took place. With the snow swirling angrily around us and the heater on full blast, Mr. Diefenbach and I sat in the front seat of my car for a good 30 minutes after we had pulled into his driveway, and he told me some of his amazing experiences as a 19-year-old Marine fighting Japanese soldiers on the island of Peleliu.
"I didn't mean to go on and on," he said after we chatted. "I didn't want to bore you, but one of the things about getting old is you sometimes don't know when to stop talking."
Go on and on? Bore me?
That half-hour in time is one I shall always remember -- I still clearly see his eyes watering as he talked about bringing flags to the homes of our local Marines serving abroad -- and one I shall always treasure.
One thing I'm reminded of every year as I write columns for this newspaper is that heroes don't think of themselves as extraordinary in any way. Ron Battiato probably didn't see himself as special when this Air Angels paramedic threw his body over the sick baby he and his crew were transporting when their medical helicopter crashed into the ground in Aurora last October.
That final act "wouldn't surprise me at all," Provena Mercy Medical Center's EMS coordinator Scott Vance told me about the paramedic he'd worked with in so many emergency situations. "He was that kind of person."
Heroes, I've also learned, come in all ages. Teenagers Ashley Souba and Bryan Worden, who battled cancer through most of their high school years, inspired so many of their peers they were both crowned Batavia's homecoming king and queen -- then were crowned again at the school's 2008 prom.
Why? Because they "taught so many people about courage and facing adversity," said classmate Julie Ewing.
Heroism doesn't have to involve life and death. Think Dan Dolan, an Aurora real estate developer who dedicated almost every spare moment of his free time last year to organizing a massive community food drive. Or Florence Swope of unincorporated Kendall County, who turned her underage son in to police when she found out he'd been drinking -- then aggressively pushed reluctant cops to go after the parents who she insisted allowed the booze in their homes.
The thing about heroes is they make you want to be a better person. To stand up for what you believe in. To take risks. To get more involved. To be more compassionate, more courageous. To stop whining about the minor irritants in your life.
My job has allowed me the privilege of meeting many of these extraordinary people. But we can all be inspired by them because there are hundreds of them among us.
And we'd like to hear some of their stories.
The last couple of years our call-out for "Amazing People" led to a deluge of responses from readers for our annual Progress editions. For 2009, we're going to shine the spotlight on extraordinary people again -- only with a slight twist: The Beacon News wants to honor "Hometown Heroes" -- those who live and work in our cities, towns or villages who epitomize the spirit of the community in which they live.
As dark and depressing news continues to dominate our headlines, this year more than ever we need to celebrate those who light up our lives. Take a moment to look around you. Then take another 30 minutes (or less) to write down what it is that makes them so inspiring.
I promise, it will be time well spent -- and forever treasured.
Denise Crosby is senior editor for content of Fox Valley Publications, which publishes the Fox Valley Villages Sun.
Ellie