Re: When a Hero Is Not a Hero
To me, choosing to be a firefighter is a heroic act in itself. I can't possibly imagine what is is like to put your life on the line in hopes of saving others. In that sense, I feel each and every firefighter is a hero. And I feel that that should be celebrated. When Norman E. Creger lost his life on the job, seeing the public respond with so much apppreciation and gratefulness was great. However, I don't feel that this 'hero' title should be limited to use when people lose their life while on duty. Every time a firefighter throws them self in a dangerous situation to try and save the life of others, they are putting their whole entire life on the line. These firefighters have families -children, spouses, parents- and still are courageous enough to put that all aside, to save other people's lives.
All of that being said, there is no excuse for being legally drunk when you are on the job -regardless of what profession. But a firefighter especially. They are expected to save other people's lives, and I feel that they need to be with a clear mind when they do. But, does that truly take away from his hero title? Sure, that moment was not heroic, but I'm sure that someone who is willing risk their lives for others is still a hero. His remains to be extremely unfortunate, as he was killed by a collapsed wall. If he was sober, the same thing could have happened.
If I were to handle the story, I would probably use the journalist's own suggestions. "[We] could have prepared the public for the drinking disclosure by a story saying an investigation was underway into Creger’s death, and that he came to the fire from a bar." I feel that with handling these kinds of stories, personal feelings may need to be separated from the facts. Instead of trying to present it in a certain light -be it positive or negative- reporting what is happening is the idea of it. The public can't expect for the news stories to me glamorized and made better than what they were. That is not to say that it is okay to be disrespectful, respect is key.
