Originally Posted by catzmeow My friend shot someone in the performance of his normal duties. Is he a murderer?

Depends. Were they required to run into a building about to collapse?

That is an interesting question. I have a friend who was one of the first rescuers into Tower 1. He worked for the New York State Court Police in building 7. Nobody ORDERED him into the building. But, in the mind of a cop, they are required to go in. Doing otherwise simply isn't possible to them. He was trapped in the rubble for several hours with his partner, but survived. They were the last two cops out of the building. He eventually had to move out of Manhattan for work because he had very PTSD as a result of his experiences on 9/11.

Anyway, nobody would force a cop or firefighter against his will into a burning building. But, most would go anyway, because that is who they are.

Does that make sense?

For instance, I used to work as an intervention specialist on the streets with gang members. At times, it was quite dangerous. I could have required them to come to me, which would have been safer for me, but more dangerous for them. I chose to go to them.

I was performing my regular duties, but I also exposed myself to danger willingly.

To me, there was no other way to do the job properly. To do otherwise would have been slacking and/or letting my clients and my community down. I don't consider myself a hero, I consider that there was a right way, and a less right way to do my job. Both were permissible for me, but I chose to do what I thought was the right way. Another person (my replacement, in fact) rarely leaves the office. She is not required to, and has no desire to.

I know quite a few cops like that (I also know some stereotypical doughnut eating slackers). To not go above and beyond in the performance of their duties is simply unthinkable to them. It's just what they do. It's who they are. They don't expect any recognition for it, either, that would embarrass them. They just do it. They do not see themselves as heroes, they see themselves as guys who just do a job to the best of their ability.

To me, those are people who are just wired to BE heroes. It's not a single act they do, it's who they are.

If risking your life on a daily basis was the sole criteria, then fishermen would be our national heroes since they have about the most dangerous job going.

Originally Posted by catzmeow Some fishermen probably are heroes.

Originally Posted by B-rett Every soldier is a hero. Those who are willing to give their lives to protect America are heroes in my book. Anybody that doesn't respect these soldiers are worse than scum in my books

Originally Posted by catzmeow On another board, Makedde wrote: I think that how we define heroes says a lot about our culture. There have been several threads on here about the cult of war in the U.S. Even in ancient Rome, heroism in war was a way to gain political power, witness Gaius Julius Caesar, Gaius Marius, and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, amongst others. I don't idolize soldiers simply because they are soldiers, though I do respect their service. On the other hand, I have never considered soldiers murderers for doing their job. And this comment really bothers me: I have worked with several police officers who saved lives by killing an armed perpetrator. In one case, a man entered a library in Salt Lake City, armed, and started shooting. He killed a librarian and kept firing at the patrons. Officers responded to the scene. A friend of mine was the man who was first on the scene and ended up shooting and killing the perpetrator. He risked his life entering the building and shooting the gunman. Was he a murderer for doing so? I agree that we need to examine our view of heroes carefully. To me, a hero is a person who takes great personal risk to do what must be done. In this case, what had to happen to stop this man from killing more innocent people was to kill him. Some people simply do not understand the concept of peace, and can't be reasoned with. And, in order to keep them from doing more harm, they must be removed from society or incapacitated. Any thoughts? Please don't attack Makedde. Let's keep this a discussion about ideas.

YouTube - One Tin Soldier

Originally Posted by CrusaderRabbit08 I have as much respect for the typical soldier as I do for the typical baker at Safeway; no more, no less. A hero in my book is someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty to rescue others.