What is a hero?
What is a hero? By definition a hero is “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities" (Hero). We could even look as far back as the Greeks, with their gods and demigods, humans born with super natural powers that could take out an entire city with a flick of their wrist, because of their powers they were called heroes. These gods were feared and worshiped, religions were started because of their tales and accomplishments. Despite all these powers and abilities, one thing is not mentioned, core values. I feel a hero is a combination of values, because bravery without courage, integrity, humility and honor can mean all the difference between being a hero and being lucky. To me a hero is someone who puts all others in front of himself, who puts personal gain and ambitions on the back burner for the betterment of others or the greater good. Others define heroes as someone who signed their name on the dotted line to serve this country, or a person who gives blood in the Publix parking lot, we all have different views and opinions on what a hero is, but I think we can all agree, a hero puts others' lives before their own. What we should all understand, is that all of us have the potential to be a hero, the right person in the right place at the right time, can make all the difference in the world.
After reading the other assigned stories I am drawn towards Bodega Dreams, the only character that could fit the definition of a hero is Mr. Tapia. He took on the great responsibility of teaching the younger generation of a community to try and make a difference in those young ones lives. He matches my definition of a hero because he put the lives and futures of those kids before his and he went above and beyond what any teacher would be expected to do when he kept Sapo from going to Juvenile Detention. Tapia, as he prefers to be called in the story, fills the role of hero to those students because he is the hope they need in school to go out into the world and achieve what they want in life, unlike Mr. Blessington who is the equivalent of a nemesis in their lives.
I have had the honor and privilege to work with heroes every day, those who have gone overseas to defend our freedom and way of life, that have come home with nothing more than a paycheck and a pat on the back for sacrificing what they have. These people don’t ask for grand parties or parades to be thrown in their honor, they are happy to come home and be with their loved ones, spend time with those who care about them not because of what they have done but because of who they are. They relate to society as an equal, knowing that what they have done does not make them better than anyone else or grant them special treatment over someone else, because their sacrifices have been made for the greater good.
When I joined the Navy the first things taught to us in Boot Camp are the Navy Core Values, Honor, Courage and Commitment. These values are instilled in us so that we can all become heroes in our own right. We are taught that Honor is doing what is right no matter who is around or watching, because in the end, just because no one saw it, doesn’t mean you didn’t do it. Courage is being able to overcome difficult, sometimes dangerous tasks to achieve our mission. If we can remove fear, any task no matter how great can easily be overcome. Finally we reach commitment, this is having the dedication to see any mission through to the end, without commitment all of the honor and courage we have would amount to nothing. It is a combination of values and beliefs that make us who we are, and can mean the difference of doing what is right or running when the fear takes hold.
Learning that Saint Leo University has core values had a profound impact on me, it is not often you hear of core values being promoted within an institution. Excellence and Integrity are two wonderful values to practice in our daily lives and for myself are a great addition for when I pass on my knowledge to my junior sailors. When I think of excellence as a core value I think of striving for your best performance, no matter the outcome. If you know you have given 110%, you have given your all. Integrity I feel can go along side honor as a core value but we can still learn something from it, having the integrity to say "I did the right thing" can sometimes be a hard burden to bare, but with honor and courage, you can overcome it. The main point I am trying to prove in all of this, is that a hero cannot have such a simple definition of just being brave, it takes a combination of values, act and sometimes just being where you are needed most. Without honor, courage could be used negatively to harm someone for personal gain, without humility, our courageous acts could lead to selfishness and a thought of superiority. Long ago we started to think of heroes as a person with super powers and abilities, and we still do today, but time has shown us that it is those who sacrifice the most for others, who act in dangerous situations to save a total stranger, who give their life defending their family, those are the true heroes.

Works Cited “Hero." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2013
Web. 15 Sep. 2013 Quinonez, Ernesto. "Bodega Dreams." Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Missy James and Alan P. Merickel. 5th Ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2013. 178-83. Print.