American Hero Returns Home
http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=146266&zoneid=500
This is a non-political story that will touch your heart.
This is a non-political story that will touch your heart.
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That's a great story woods, thanks for sharing it with us. 0 -
Mainers at their very best. Thanks for reading it. 0 -
I hope nobody minds my bumping this up to stay on the first page for a day or so. I would like for as many folks here as possible to read it. There's a spot at the end of the article where you can send comments of support. It only takes a moment to read.
It was bitterly cold on Sunday, I heard about this from a friend, Sunday evening. He told me that there were at least several hundred people standing outside by the road at various places along the route. There was news coverage when Sgt Gray first came back. Keep in mind that he's a citizen soldier in the Guard.0 -
Great read, thanks for posting. 0 -
At the risk of being flamed, I suggest Mr. Gray is a victim of an attack, he did nothing heroic that I can tell and calling him a hero denigrates and devalues the real heros.
I do think it is great the town welcomed him home the way they did.0 -
Hairy being present in a combat zone, serving his country, pretty much makes most people a hero in my eyes.
Hero's just "happen", nobody plans it, one just ends up reacting in a crap situation, doin their job...and usually think nothing of it themselves.
The guy is a hero, and has sacrificed much.
Now medals are a different story, not too big on 'em.
Funny how the brass back 1/2 a mile from any contact gets a silver Star...while the guys in the fire fight that may end up getting medals...get Bronze...it happens...[;)]
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quote:Originally posted by HAIRY
At the risk of being flamed, I suggest Mr. Gray is a victim of an attack, he did nothing heroic that I can tell and calling him a hero denigrates and devalues the real heros.
I do think it is great the town welcomed him home the way they did.
+1. Admirable action was someone taking the time to welcome the guy home, and the guy who did the renovations. Kudos to the fire chief and the guy's buddy.0 -
Welcome home Son and prayers for your recovery.. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by HAIRY
At the risk of being flamed, I suggest Mr. Gray is a victim of an attack, he did nothing heroic that I can tell and calling him a hero denigrates and devalues the real heros.
I do think it is great the town welcomed him home the way they did.
+1
God Bless him and his family0 -
Sorry about the misleading and inaccurate title of my post. Perhaps, in an emotional moment, I may have overstated. Throughout history, there have been countless acts of "real" heroism which never go reported. I choose to think that somewhere in Sgt Gray's mind that there has been a valiant struggle to survive and return home to his family.
Anyone who knows Maine will understand that there really isn't anything exceptional about the support shown by members of the community. Mainers get up in the middle of the night to go to the airport and welcome the many servicemen and women who frequently have stopovers at Bangor International. I hope that never changes.0 -
quote:HAIRY
Advanced Member
26301 Posts
Posted - 02/13/2007 : 10:30:32 AM
At the risk of being flamed, I suggest Mr. Gray is a victim of an attack, he did nothing heroic that I can tell and calling him a hero denigrates and devalues the real heros.
I do think it is great the town welcomed him home the way they did.
Edited by - HAIRY on 02/13/2007 10:32:00 AM
Hairy, I'm not sure what it is you believe you contributed with your first paragraph of your post. Further suggesting that he is a "victim" is also inaccurate. He was a combatant in a combat zone, in a fight. I believe when people refer to soldiers as "victims" or "kids" that it is either a deliberate or ignorant comment meant to tear at the hearts of the mothers' and grandmothers' accross this country that don't want to believe that there are bad things out there, and there are people who choose to stand in the way of those bad people, knowing and accepting the risk. I would also like to add in my opinion that just because the article does not mention he did anything heroic, it's interesting that you automatically assume he was not doing anything heroic at the time, the article is about his homecoming, not his actions in Iraq.
If you want to start a thread on what makes a hero and what does not, then go ahead, but why do you refuse to keep negative writing out of your posts when there is just no need for it. As I have said before, you're a lonely, bitter old man who will take shots at anyone so you can somehow feel better about yourself. I feel sorry for you, and I respect SGT Grey.0 -
woodshermit: Unfortunately, too many people call victims heros--such as the people killed on 9/11; Jessica Lynch, Pat Tillman, etc., while all they are are victims. IMO, we need to correctly identify people so we don't contribute to the abuse of our language and the meaning of words.
Otherwise, IMO, we are like the Queen of Hearts in Alice In Wonderland: A word means what I want it to mean.0 -
I wrote that I was apologizing for, perhaps, misstating in my thread title and I admit that I did post that in an emotional moment. Now you are just piling on after the whistle has blown and that is unnecessary.
Dave W. the issue is with the title of my thread. I'll acknowledge that.
What should be important is just to read the article and reflect on it. Not flame the title, which I am admitting could have been better worded. Actually, I don't really care what anybody thinks, more people are reading the article. I say, "Mission Accomplished"0
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