Who Are Your Heroes?

By:  Christopher Brennan

Who are your heroes?  Who are the men and women that have set an example that you look up to?  I would venture to guess that as children we all had heroes: an athlete, coach, teacher, or parents often are the form a hero takes in our youth.  In some cases as kids our heroes take the form of groups of people: firefighters, police officers, soldiers, sailors, airmen, or Marines.  Today, as an adult, who are your heroes?

I think having heroes is critical.  They serve as examples to measure ourselves against.  I also think that who you chose to label a hero defines much about your character.  There are many examples of people we perceive as heroes who are anything but heroic.  Our society far too often idolizes celebrity, wealth, or extravagance.  So, I ask again: Who are your heroes?

For me I can answer this question without a moment’s hesitation.  My heroes are: Lt. Michael Murphy, USN, Medal of Honor Recipient (Posthumously); Theodore Roosevelt, 26^th President of the United States; John Adams, 2^nd President of the United States; James Brennan, my father; Edwin Gorman, my maternal grandfather who passed away before I was born.  More than any other collection of human beings (to me) these men have lived lives of purpose that I believe highlight the greatest of ideals and at the same time were truly human and made mistakes and missteps. 

I think that as each of makes this journey toward mastery of the physical and mental skills of a Fire Service Warrior we need to take a hard look at just who do we look up to.  Who do WE want to emulate?  Defining these examples of men and women we aspire to be like offers us a barometer to gauge our actions against.  It is only when we critically examine our own actions that we can know if we are on the right path, or if we have gone astray from our own goals, objectives, or ideals.

As I have developed this ideal, this concept, that I have labeled a Fire Service Warrior culture, I have reflected on the actions of those men I consider to be my heroes and asked myself, “What would they think?”  I have tried to use the experiences of these other leaders to help me define if I am succeeding or failing in my objective: to reduce fireground injuries and fatalities by promoting unparalleled excellence through the prism of a Warrior culture.  The interesting thing about my goal is I will likely never be able to say with certainty if it has been successful on a large scale; you cannot prove a negative.  I do know that men have said that the tools I have offered them have saved their lives, and that is all the validation I need.

I bring this up because for each of you who will tread down this path you will meet resistance.  People will dislike you for striving for personal excellence.  In my opinion that is because they have neither the moral courage nor self discipline to be anything other than mediocre.  Many have fallen trap to our society’s insistence on luxury and an easy solution to answers.  I think my heroes all have taught me that nothing of value is accomplished cheaply in life.   Lt. Michael Murphy gave his life without hesitation to try and save the lives of his teammates on a mountain side in Afghanistan.  Teddy Roosevelt may have single-handedly ensured the role of the United States as a world power when as Assistant Secretary of the Navy he ordered Admiral Dewey into the Philippines.  John Adams was hated by many for his vocal cry for American Independence in the lead up to the Revolutionary War.  My father taught me somewhere around mile 9 of a 20 mile hike that you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter how hard it seems.  The specter of my grandfather has loomed large in my family for as long as I can remember.  He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a private when the US entered World War I and Retired as a decorated Officer just before the Korean conflict.  He lived a life of purpose and service and also managed to send four children through 12 years of Catholic Schools even though he was in his 40’s when the first of them was born.  Each of these men sacrificed, struggled, and strove to be their best and to leave the world a better place for others without shrinking from difficult situations that so many are unwilling to face. 

If you follow this path, the path of the Fire Service Warrior, you will be looked upon with scorn by many.  Revel in their hatred, because as George Bernard Shaw said, “Hatred is the coward’s answer to being intimidated.”  Also remember the words of Teddy Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”