I Love a Hero

Today is the anniversary of D-Day, a day filled with heroic acts by amazing young men. I’m so very grateful for their sacrifice – for all of those who stand in harm’s way to keep us safe.

I love true stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Men and women who discover they are just brave enough, just strong enough to do what needs to be done. In hindsight they are amazed at what they did and are often uncomfortable with acclaim. And they inspire me. They shrink my problems down to where I can think, “Yeah, you can do that.”

My dad is one of those ordinary heroes who has done extraordinary things. His Infantry Battalion and Armored Field Artillery Battalion was cited for “extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of duty in the action against the armed enemy” for his service in Korea. When the enemy broke through UN forces, exposing their flank to the full force of approximately 120,000 enemy troops, they launched “fierce counterattacks, successfully extricating themselves and “stopped the onslaught of Chinese Communist forces.”

My dad was 24 years old, and though he didn’t know it at the time (it took weeks for the news to reach him because of the attack), a new father. This was his second war. He is part of the Greatest Generation and very much deserves the label, but if you saw him on the street, you wouldn’t know you’d seen a hero.

So I was very interested to see The Finest Hours. And I was worried, because I also like happy endings. The Finest Hours delivers heroes and a mix of happy and sad, which is what you get in real life. Oh, there’s also a romance, though is has been Hollywoodized. How do I know this?

I had to buy the book. The movie is great because you get to see what it must have been like (though also with much Hollywoodizing), but the book gives you real deal. The movie focuses mostly on one of four rescues (when two oil tankers broke in half!) that happened during that epically nasty storm the winter of 1952.

Are you inspired by acts of courage and bravery? Do they help you put your challenges in perspective? Any favorite movies, books or real life stories you’d like to share?

I love comments so much that I pick a favorite to receive my monthly AnaBanana gift basket ($25 value).  (And don’t forget that once a quarter I’ll be tossing in something fun from the Perilously Fun Shop!) Recipient is announced the first blog post of the new month.

Perilously yours,

Pauline