Real heroes

The cargo ship Maersk Alabama was carrying food aid to Rwanda, Uganda, and Somalia when Somali pirates attacked it on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, off Somalia’s eastern coast. As the pirates boarded, Captain Richard Phillips told his 19 men to lock themselves in a cabin, and he offered himself as a hostage to save his crew.

Over the next few days, U.S. warships and a helicopter shadowed the enclosed 28-foot lifeboat with the pirates who held Phillips hostage. On Friday, Phillips tried to swim to safety, but was recaptured after a pirate fired into the water. When the lifeboat ran out of fuel, the pirates agreed to have the USS Bainbridge tow it to calmer waters.

After four days the situation intensified, and Phillips’ was in danger of being killed by a pirate who held an AK-47 assault rifle to the back of his head. The commander of the Bainbridge made the decision to order three concealed Navy SEAL snipers to shoot at the three remaining pirates on the lifeboat. It was nighttime on the open ocean when all three pirates were exposed and three bullets from the SEALS simultaneously found their target to the head, killing all three pirates and saving Captain Phillips.

This is real life, not some cheesy Hollywood movie—although it will probably become material for a scriptwriter and find its way to the silver screen. Captain Phillip’s selfless act to offer himself as hostage to save his men is an example of what real heroes do when things go bad.

I was recently reading about men who placed themselves in mortal danger in order to save the lives of their comrades in wartime. Kids used to idolize men of valor and imagine themselves in similar situations. Now they seem to idolize drugged-up musicians, athletes, and self-centered celebrities living a pampered life.

Who are some of the almost forgotten heroes? Where are the Sgt. Yorks and the Audie Murphys of today?

Sgt. York was a household name after World War I. Born into a family of redneck Tennessee farmers, Alvin York rebelled by drinking too much and getting into bar fights. When a friend was killed in one of the bar fights, he swore off drinking and became a pacifist. He even filed as a conscientious objector when he received his draft notice in 1917, but it was denied.

After a year in the service, he was one of 17 men chosen to take out a fortified machine-gun encampment that guarded a German railroad. The gunners spotted them as they approached and nine of the men were killed or severely wounded. The other seven ran for cover, leaving corporal York alone to take fire from 32 heavy machine gunners. After the first 20 Germans were killed by York, a German lieutenant took five soldiers with him to attack their sole enemy from the side. York pulled out his Colt .45 with eight bullets in it, and killed all of them.

At this point, the Germans didn’t know what to make of York, since none of them could hit him while he easily reduced their numbers. Lt. Paul Jurgen Vollmer negotiated a surrender if York would stop shooting, and 10 minutes later 133 men walked toward the remains of York’s battalion and gave themselves up as prisoners. He was promoted to sergeant and he told his division commander, General Duncan, in 1919: “A higher power than man power guided and watched over me and told me what to do.”

Audie Murphy was a Texas farm boy who was an excellent shot with a rifle. He faked his age to enlist in the Army during World War II as a 16-year old, 5 foot 5.5 inch, 110-pound soldier. After passing out halfway through basic training they tried to transfer him to become a cook, but he insisted on fighting.

He contracted malaria during the invasion of Italy, and had it during most of the war. In 1944, he was sent to southern France and his platoon encountered a German machine gun crew who pretended to surrender, but then shot and killed his good friend. He went ballistic, and killed everyone in the gun nest, then used the German’s machine guns to kill all the enemies within a 100-yard radius, including two machine gun nests and some snipers.

About half a year later, his company of 19 men (out of the original 128) was given the job to defend the Colmar Pocket, a critical region in France. They had a couple of M-10 tank destroyers that met a half dozen tanks and a lot of German soldiers, while Murphy’s company hid in a trench because reinforcements weren’t coming for awhile. When the M-10s were ripped to shreds, this five-and-one-half-foot tall kid with malaria ran to one of the crippled and burning tank destroyers and hopped behind its .50 cal machine gun, and started killing everyone in sight. He did this for almost an hour, keeping the German’s at bay. When he was out of bullets, he walked back to his astonished men as the M-10 exploded in the background.

Murphy wrote an autobiography about his war experiences titled To Hell and Back. After the war he became an actor and he was asked to play himself in the movie with the same title. He reluctantly agreed, but insisted that some parts be taken out for fear that Hollywood audiences wouldn’t believe all his acts of heroism. The movie held the title of the highest-grossing film by Universal for 20 years, until the making of Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws.

These stories shouldn’t be forgotten, but used to remind us that one person can change the outcome of what seems like a hopeless situation for all. Phillips’, York’s, and Murphy’s selfless acts all had an effect on those lives around them. One person can be a real hero and make a difference, while a group of people who step into the hero’s circle and work together can make a profound difference in their community and the world. Who will be the real heroes in your community to change the outcome of what seems like a hopeless situation?