In our society today, it is hard to identify a true hero. By most definitions, a hero is a person who has done something to help another, with no reward or personal gain. Perhaps they put themselves in danger, or even risk death to help. Putting your own life on the line for someone you may have never met before, or without pausing to consider what might happen to you, defines a hero. We have many unsung heroes everyday that we often don’t hear about because they are not seeking fame and attention. Rather, they just are trying to do the right thing.
One such case of heroism would be Captain Chelsey B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, the captain of U.S. Airways flight 1549 (Clancy and Ries, 2009). Sully was able to safely land a disabled commercial airplane with 155 passengers onboard, setting it down in the Hudson River, with no injuries or deaths. The emergency landing was the result of birds flying into the plane’s engines, causing major damage and shutting the engines down. After landing the plane, Sully then helped all of the passengers get out of the plane and onto the wing to wait for help. He then went back into the sinking airplane to double-check no people were overlooked or forgotten.
Afterwards, Sully tried to stay out of the media. He did not want the fame, and he did not consider himself a hero. The incident was called the “miracle on the Hudson”. Had he not landed the plane in the river, and had it crashed into downtown New York, the aftermath would have been similar to that of 9/11. Being a true hero, Sully claimed, “my entire life up to that moment had been in preparation to handle that particular moment” (Newman, 2009). That is spoken like a true hero.
References
Clancy, M & Ries, B (2009). The Hero of Flight 1549. NBC New York. Retrieved on June 1, 2009 from http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/The-Hero-of-Flight-1549.html
Newman, R. (2009).What Sully Sullenberger Can Teach CEOs. US News. Retrieved June 1,
2009 from http://www.usnews.com/blogs/flowchart/2009/02/09/what-sully-sullenberger-
can-teach-ceos.html
One such case of heroism would be Captain Chelsey B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, the captain of U.S. Airways flight 1549 (Clancy and Ries, 2009). Sully was able to safely land a disabled commercial airplane with 155 passengers onboard, setting it down in the Hudson River, with no injuries or deaths. The emergency landing was the result of birds flying into the plane’s engines, causing major damage and shutting the engines down. After landing the plane, Sully then helped all of the passengers get out of the plane and onto the wing to wait for help. He then went back into the sinking airplane to double-check no people were overlooked or forgotten.
Afterwards, Sully tried to stay out of the media. He did not want the fame, and he did not consider himself a hero. The incident was called the “miracle on the Hudson”. Had he not landed the plane in the river, and had it crashed into downtown New York, the aftermath would have been similar to that of 9/11. Being a true hero, Sully claimed, “my entire life up to that moment had been in preparation to handle that particular moment” (Newman, 2009). That is spoken like a true hero.
References
Clancy, M & Ries, B (2009). The Hero of Flight 1549. NBC New York. Retrieved on June 1, 2009 from http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/The-Hero-of-Flight-1549.html
Newman, R. (2009).What Sully Sullenberger Can Teach CEOs. US News. Retrieved June 1,
2009 from http://www.usnews.com/blogs/flowchart/2009/02/09/what-sully-sullenberger-
can-teach-ceos.html
Picsearch. (n.d.). Pictures. Retrieved on June 3,2009 from http://www.picsearch.com/.
Excellent choice of a hero Bethany! while many celebrities are called heroes and others are portrayed in film as heros such as my chosen representative of "Kung Fu", your choice is what I believe to be a genuine hero
ReplyDeleteI don't remember who said it, but someone once said that the act of heroism isn't glamorous. You're scared to death when you do it and when you are through, you wonder how you ever did it. Yeah, when you do something like that the last thing you think about is "what a minute, how can I get recognized for this". You really don't want recognition for something you were scared to death for doing. You were shaking from head to toe after and throwing up.
ReplyDeleteThey are the heroes though. In the face of adversity, they will come.