Heroes For My Son
I recently heard an interview with an author, Brad Meltzer, talking about his latest book entitled "Heroes For My Son." He spoke of how when his first son was born, he found himself thinking about what kind of virtues, traits and values he wanted to share with his son. Indeed these are the kinds of thoughts many fathers have once they become proud parents of a boy. (Indeed many of us have the same thoughts with daughters, but admittedly we know daughters grow up into women, a group of people we die never really understanding.)
So, I decided to seek out this new tome and see what wisdom it contained. What heroes did he identify with, and would I share many of the same folks, and what others would I want to include on my own list? Indeed the book is not long on details about each hero, it simply lists their names, a quote or two and a brief description of why Mr. Meltzer considers them heroic.
I can only imagine how daunting it proved to be to compile such a list, you don't want to leave anyone out. I will not spoil anyone's interest by listing all of his heroes in the book, but will list some: the Wright Brothers, Martin Luther King, Jackie Robinson, Thomas Jefferson, Dr. Seuss, George Washington, Rosa Parks, Lou Gehrig, and Abraham Lincoln. I certainly agree all of them are heroes. They would also make my list. But who were some he did not include which need to be on MY list?
Ronald Reagan - Reagan whether you agreed or not with his particular political beliefs, did bring about the collapse of the USSR, the Berlin Wall, and opened up nearly 1/4 of the world from an oppressive government which suffocated freedom at every turn. Did he do this by fighting a war? Nope. Amazingly, he did it without even firing a single shot in the direction of the enemy. He used the power of words, ideas, and the enemies own system, in addition to freedom itself, to help bring them down. Who can ever forget his quote to Mikhail Gorbachev at the Berlin Wall in 1987? "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." There are many other reasons I think Reagan is a hero, but this is probably the most amazing achievement of any president in the latter half of the 20th century.
John F. Kennedy - Some will be surprised to see a Kennedy on my list of heroes. But again, he is someone who inspired the seemingly impossible to be made possible, with his challenge in a speech to Congress in 1961 where he said, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish." Despite the loss of President Kennedy to an assassin's bullet in 1963, Neil Armstrong fulfilled the first part of Kennedy's challenge on July 20, 1969 by becoming the first human in history to set foot on the surface of the moon. On July 24, 1969 the three astronauts aboard Apollo 11 completed the mission by successfully returning to earth. Never underestimate the power of human determination; there is no substance stronger, no cosmic force more powerful.
Henry Aaron - Hammerin' Hank proved to be perhaps the greatest baseball player who ever played. Indeed, not only did he play at an amazing level of great skill for a long period of time, but he did so under the intense pressure, scrutiny and climate of racial intolerance. Most people remain unaware of the many death threats against his life, and that of his family as he approached Babe Ruth's home run record. No player today has even a clue as to how much bigotry and hatred Aaron faced on nearly a daily basis as he closed in on the mark. Yet Hank simply went about his business, and showed a grace, humility and fortitude rarely seen in the world. He remains the true home run king to me, since he did all of his work without the help of steroids, drugs, and growth hormones which turned Barry Bonds from a normal man into the Incredible Bulk. Aaron remains a revered icon in the world of sports today.
Millard Fullmer - Mr. Fullmer is a name likely very few people really know. But many people in the world are familiar with his legacy, he founded the Habitat For Humanity organization. The self-made millionaire and his wife Linda, sold all of their possessions, gave the money to the poor and set about building the worldwide Christian housing ministry into the organization it is today. To date, they have built over 350,000 houses and provided over 1.75 million people with a safe, decent shelter in which to live.
The Passengers of United Flight 93 on (9/11/2001) - Nearly everyone knows the story of what happened on 9/11 all those years ago. These brave souls knew what fate awaited them if they simply remained frightened and subdued. Despite knowing the odds were heavily against them, they simply overcame their fear and stormed the terrorists who had taken control of Flight 93, and fought a pitched battle to the end, and by doing so saved many lives that morning. Bravery and courage are uncommon traits in the world today, but on that fateful flight they were in abundance. May the cause of freedom always rise up against those who seek to control with fear and hatred.
Gordon W. Jacobs - G.W. is how he is known to most, alas to me he is simply "Pop" and "Dad". My father came from very humble beginnings (his father never even went to high school and worked manual labor his whole life), and grew up to become the first Jacobs to graduate from college. Throughout his personal and professional life, he has always strived to bring out the best in people, to treat everyone with respect and never stop trying to improve every day. Indeed, he began his professional life as a 'buyer" at Maas Brothers and rose to become C.E.O. of a major insurance company today. As a chief executive today, he still meets personally with every single employee who comes to work at his company, whether they are a Vice President or Mail Room employee. His lessons in becoming a man became my blueprint for my own son: serve others, be respectful of others, laugh a lot, think more, and love a lot. Fight for what's right, and most of all perhaps, follow your own path, make good choices and always accept responsibility for those decisions, and learn from your mistakes. I hope indeed I have fulfilled those ideals, and even more importantly, I hope those are the lessons my son are learning from me.
So, who are your heroes? This is but a short list of some of mine which were not included in Mr. Meltzer's book. There are so many, many more. Perhaps others have lists of their own. I hope all of our sons (and daughters) come to know and understand the lessons, traits, virtues and values that make so many into heroes.
So, I decided to seek out this new tome and see what wisdom it contained. What heroes did he identify with, and would I share many of the same folks, and what others would I want to include on my own list? Indeed the book is not long on details about each hero, it simply lists their names, a quote or two and a brief description of why Mr. Meltzer considers them heroic.
I can only imagine how daunting it proved to be to compile such a list, you don't want to leave anyone out. I will not spoil anyone's interest by listing all of his heroes in the book, but will list some: the Wright Brothers, Martin Luther King, Jackie Robinson, Thomas Jefferson, Dr. Seuss, George Washington, Rosa Parks, Lou Gehrig, and Abraham Lincoln. I certainly agree all of them are heroes. They would also make my list. But who were some he did not include which need to be on MY list?
Ronald Reagan - Reagan whether you agreed or not with his particular political beliefs, did bring about the collapse of the USSR, the Berlin Wall, and opened up nearly 1/4 of the world from an oppressive government which suffocated freedom at every turn. Did he do this by fighting a war? Nope. Amazingly, he did it without even firing a single shot in the direction of the enemy. He used the power of words, ideas, and the enemies own system, in addition to freedom itself, to help bring them down. Who can ever forget his quote to Mikhail Gorbachev at the Berlin Wall in 1987? "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." There are many other reasons I think Reagan is a hero, but this is probably the most amazing achievement of any president in the latter half of the 20th century.
John F. Kennedy - Some will be surprised to see a Kennedy on my list of heroes. But again, he is someone who inspired the seemingly impossible to be made possible, with his challenge in a speech to Congress in 1961 where he said, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish." Despite the loss of President Kennedy to an assassin's bullet in 1963, Neil Armstrong fulfilled the first part of Kennedy's challenge on July 20, 1969 by becoming the first human in history to set foot on the surface of the moon. On July 24, 1969 the three astronauts aboard Apollo 11 completed the mission by successfully returning to earth. Never underestimate the power of human determination; there is no substance stronger, no cosmic force more powerful.
Henry Aaron - Hammerin' Hank proved to be perhaps the greatest baseball player who ever played. Indeed, not only did he play at an amazing level of great skill for a long period of time, but he did so under the intense pressure, scrutiny and climate of racial intolerance. Most people remain unaware of the many death threats against his life, and that of his family as he approached Babe Ruth's home run record. No player today has even a clue as to how much bigotry and hatred Aaron faced on nearly a daily basis as he closed in on the mark. Yet Hank simply went about his business, and showed a grace, humility and fortitude rarely seen in the world. He remains the true home run king to me, since he did all of his work without the help of steroids, drugs, and growth hormones which turned Barry Bonds from a normal man into the Incredible Bulk. Aaron remains a revered icon in the world of sports today.
Millard Fullmer - Mr. Fullmer is a name likely very few people really know. But many people in the world are familiar with his legacy, he founded the Habitat For Humanity organization. The self-made millionaire and his wife Linda, sold all of their possessions, gave the money to the poor and set about building the worldwide Christian housing ministry into the organization it is today. To date, they have built over 350,000 houses and provided over 1.75 million people with a safe, decent shelter in which to live.
The Passengers of United Flight 93 on (9/11/2001) - Nearly everyone knows the story of what happened on 9/11 all those years ago. These brave souls knew what fate awaited them if they simply remained frightened and subdued. Despite knowing the odds were heavily against them, they simply overcame their fear and stormed the terrorists who had taken control of Flight 93, and fought a pitched battle to the end, and by doing so saved many lives that morning. Bravery and courage are uncommon traits in the world today, but on that fateful flight they were in abundance. May the cause of freedom always rise up against those who seek to control with fear and hatred.
Gordon W. Jacobs - G.W. is how he is known to most, alas to me he is simply "Pop" and "Dad". My father came from very humble beginnings (his father never even went to high school and worked manual labor his whole life), and grew up to become the first Jacobs to graduate from college. Throughout his personal and professional life, he has always strived to bring out the best in people, to treat everyone with respect and never stop trying to improve every day. Indeed, he began his professional life as a 'buyer" at Maas Brothers and rose to become C.E.O. of a major insurance company today. As a chief executive today, he still meets personally with every single employee who comes to work at his company, whether they are a Vice President or Mail Room employee. His lessons in becoming a man became my blueprint for my own son: serve others, be respectful of others, laugh a lot, think more, and love a lot. Fight for what's right, and most of all perhaps, follow your own path, make good choices and always accept responsibility for those decisions, and learn from your mistakes. I hope indeed I have fulfilled those ideals, and even more importantly, I hope those are the lessons my son are learning from me.
So, who are your heroes? This is but a short list of some of mine which were not included in Mr. Meltzer's book. There are so many, many more. Perhaps others have lists of their own. I hope all of our sons (and daughters) come to know and understand the lessons, traits, virtues and values that make so many into heroes.
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