Are Morons Like Michael Vick a Hero?
I don’t know why, but I woke up this morning thinking about Wally Schirra. Unless you’re older than 50 or just a science geek, you’ve probably never heard of him. But back in the day, he was well known in America.
You see, when the space program first started taking off (pun intended) in the 60s, NASA selected a group of guys to be the first ones in space. They were called the “Mercury 7″. The earliest model spaceship was called “Mercury” and there was 7 of them, so…Mercury 7. Guess it didn’t take a rocket scientist to come up with that name.
Anyway, along with Gus Grissom, John Glenn and a few other renegades, Wally was selected. He flew for a little over 9 hours onboard Sigma and then splashed down only 4 miles from the recovery shp.
Wally went on to become the first space pilot to get a cold in space as well as the only astronaut to fly in the Mercury, Gemini AND Apollo missions.
Wally finally died in 2007 after a long career that is fascinating to read about.
I actually had the opportunity to meet Wally and spend a few hours with him one night some time ago. I walked into a little bar to rest and relax on a Friday after work. The place was crowded with people almost everywhere. Over in the corner, at a little table in the back I noticed him. The place was smoky, so I couldn’t be sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not. So I moved closer and yah, it was him, Wally Schirra.
I got two beers from the bartender and then went over to him. Sitting one beer infront of him, I stuck out my hand, introduced myself and told him it was an honor to meet him. We chatted for about 30 seconds and I figured he’d want his privacy, so I started to move away. He stopped me and invited me to sit and talk for a few minutes. Well, Wally was one of my childhood heroes, so I couldn’t say no.
Our “few minute” conversation turned into about a three hour visit. The man had lived a fascinating life and had some fascinating stories to tell. To hear some “insider” stuff on the space program from someone that had been an “insider” through the glory days of the space program was incredible.
Here was a man who at one time had been a household name. He had been honored by Presidents, Kings, Queens and even had a ticker tape parade or two done in his honor. His flying career was highlighted in the movie “The Right Stuff”. Now here he was, in the flesh, chatting with me just like I had been a long lost friend.
Like I said, this morning I woke up thinking about him. Him and who we call heroes in this country today. I think some how we’ve gotten the definition of heros a little screwed up. We call sports celebrities “heros” when all they can do is hit the ball or run a little better faster or better than the rest of us. We called Wally and the other six guys heros when they didn’t really do anything other than ride into space with a rocket strapped to their back. A monkey could do that. Oh wait, a monkey DID do it before man did.
No, real heros are the folks that we never hear about in our day-to-day lives. Heros are the folks that have actually done something to change the way people think and live. Clarencce Jordan is someone that comes to mind. Millard Fuller fits that category also. And then I get to thinking about some of the other people that I know.
Seth and Nichole who run our home school and seem to have a special anointing for working with kids. Sarah who manages products season and manages to do it with a smile…usually. Kathleen who just goes quietly through the day doing the 1001 things that need to be done. Brendan who has taken a forgotten piece of ground and is slowly transforming it into a farm right before my eyes. Amanda who is responsible for getting the word about Koinonia out to folks. Kathy who manages the budget to make sure we can continue to operate. Bren whose job has to be something close to trying to herd cats. And alot of other folks around here who go quietly about their day…making Koinonia just a little better for me and the thousands of folks who visit here each year.
And my Mom. She’s my hero too. I’ll have to write about her some day soon.
Well, that’s about it for today. I’m gonna grab a cup of coffee and get ready to see what the day brings.
3…2…1…blastoff!
I just read a terrific article about Michael Vick at http://www.ebmpublishing.com. The article was wonderfully written and showed a different perspective regarding this very issue. It’s an engaging thought provoking article.
EXCUSE ME: What exactly is engaging and thought provoking about this article? It flies in the face of so many facts regarding his attitude and approach to his taking responsibility.