All too often the news media throws around the work “Hero“. They use it to describe someone who makes a speech about climate change or some other faux outrage, someone who protests, even for criminals who are justifiably shot.

Here are a couple of examples of what I believe are HEROES. You probably have not heard of them.

This new year’s day, 12 men assaulted 1 man in the New York City subway. The victim was shoved onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train. The victims arm was broken in the fall. An unnamed 36-year-old man leapt down into the roadbed and lifted the victim to safety. The man who saved the victim was hit and killed by the oncoming train.

In March of 1992 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center in New York, a five ton monster truck went out of control and crashed into the crowd of spectators. 82-year-old Lester Gilliam saw that the truck was about to crush a 10-year-old boy so he leapt into action, grabbed the boy, and threw him to safety. Mr. Gilliam was crushed to death by the out of control truck.

These were ordinary men who sacrificed their own lives to save another. They did not know the people that they saved. They just knew that something needed to be done and did it.  Without hesitation.  Without thinking about the consequences to themselves.

These good men are heroes.