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THE MEDAL |
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MEDIA |
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Raise High the Chalice of Our GratitudeHeroism is born in a split-second moment of courage. It is not an act of glory, but an act of love. In that moment, all considerations of self dissolve in an instant of sacrifice that turns death back to life for countless others. These actions, in fact, often turned the course of the battle itself. True heroism always embodies a paradox -- the knowledge that war is hell and life is precious beyond measure; and it is in the midst of this greatest conundrum of civilization that the hero takes his stand. Perhaps more than the rest of us, Medal of Honor recipients know that there is anguish as well as glory in heroism. For every man thus honored there are thousands fallen. For every victory, there are also losses. To be a hero, then, is to live in the midst of this anguishing paradox, serving your country, the men fallen beside you, your unit, your corporal, your brigade, and to serve with that particular quality of humanity, which is not only fiercely warrior-like but touchingly humane. To honor their acts of bravery, their service, their sacrifice, this nation first awarded the Medal of Honor is 1863, establishing an elite group of heroes whose numbers include only 3,441 individuals. These men did not choose to be Medal of Honor recipients, to come back from war decorated and eternally remembered. In most instances, they were convinced that they would not return. Many of these heroes choose, at the outset, to go to war. War was their destiny, their unavoidable calling, and when the devastating, instantaneous choice came to choose for self or others, something larger than the personal self in each of them chose, without thinking, to offer their own life for others. That is why, when you speak to these men, they will not tell you of the glory, the heroism or the thrill of war, nor will they speak of the grandeur of victory. Rather, you feel in their words and in their very presence, the humility and surrender of men, mortal and vulnerable human beings choosing in a situation hellish beyond imagining, inhuman beyond belief, to give of that highest human quality of generosity — their own life. As we gaze into their eyes and contemplate and think, we can only to each one of these brave souls, these heroes, raise high the chalice of our gratitude. —Daphne Rose Kingman, distinguished author, lecturer and humanist View Medal of Honor Gallery here. |
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