Heroes, Prayers And The American Experience On This July Fourth

“I regret I have but one life to give for my country-” The last words attributed to Nathan Hale, American patriot.

For a young man growing up in the west end of London, they were the words that were more than memorable. They were were the words that preceded the ’shot heard round the world’- and they were uttered not by an American Churchill, but by a school teacher.

Have you ever noticed how real heroes are the last ones to think of themselves that way? Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Lincoln were all reluctant heroes, like the aforementioned Nathan Hale. Battlefield heroes, from Sgt Alvin York to each and every winner of the Congressional Medal Of Honor were all ordinary individuals who did extraordinary things, when called upon- and often, even when they were not.

These traits are not uniquely American. Heroes are found all over the globe, every day. What is uniquely American is our willingness to recognize and be grateful for the everyman/woman that makes it, or makes the attempt. We encourage, push, and cajole just about everyone that wants to step forward. We take pride in the little guy who made it. You can come from the wrong side of the tracks or the right side of the tracks. If you’ve got the right stuff, you can be president. You don’t need to be a blue blood or have money to make it. Just ask the generations of immigrants who keep enriching our shores.

There are people in this country who want to change that. There are people in this country who don’t give a damn about the little guy. There are people in this country who would reject Nathan Hale, because he wasn’t one of them.

Who are these people? Why, they are the ‘glitterati,‘ of course, the Hollywood crowd and the professional politicians that have done nothing in their lives other than exploit and deceive the average American. In their hubris, believe their endorsement of an idea or candidate somehow confers an aura of extra legitimacy that a mere ‘man of the people’ cannot hope to have.

The Hollywood crowd, pop culture icons and the political class are desperate to be perceived as a group of people who are capable of more than just reciting lines or delivering sound bites (usually written by someone else). They want to be recognized for more than being able to sing carefully crafted tunes on key, written to appeal to a mass audience, or to deliver a few memorized lines.
They want America to believe that it is they that are the new heroes and it is their voices that will speak for the country.

Before the last elections, Spike Lee, Eminem, Springsteen, The Dixie Chicks, Dave Matthews, et al, decided to throw their considerable weight behind certain candidates, believing that they could be the force to propel their candidate to victory. Barbra Streisand, Rosie O’Donnell, Cher and Linda Rondstadt all defiantly (some might say, hysterically) demanded that Americans ‘think’ and come to the same conclusion ‘thinking’ people did, and vote for (or against) a particular candidate.

They mounted what must have been the largest and most spectacular campaign to endorse a candidate- and they were ineffective, notwithstanding the millions of dollars in campaign contributions.

They wanted to be the power behind the throne. When it was all said and done, the needy Hollywood crowd and the shallow pop icons were exposed for what the were- modern day versions of the court jester. They desperately wanted to be perceived as relevant- instead, they were recognized for what they were- irrelevant. America saw clearly who and what they were- actors, entertainers and musicians, no more and no less.

When it came to matters that are significant to the nation, culture and society, we look to those that have understanding and experience in dealing with reality- average, everyday working Americans. We do not need the advice tendered by those who spend their entire lives cultivating escape from reality- and we do not need advice from those living lives that are forged to be as distant from reality as their publicists, managers and agents can muster.

Here’s what Hollywood and the privileged political class do not understand. Whether you’re liberal or conservative, it is parenting, teaching and raising children that are the most meaningful and important endeavor for individuals and communities.

Parents and teachers are concerned about the TV programming their kids watch. They are concerned about the Hollywood movies their kids see and they are mortified about what their kids might be exposed to on the internet. They worry their 12 year old sons may get a girl pregnant (maybe because that 11 year old girl wearing a thong just like her pop icon idol, proved to be irresistible). Mothers and fathers worry daughters may be engaging in oral sex as a matter of sport. Mamacita has discussed these matters often, on these pages.

Average Americans find their heroes and icons in the examples set by other average Americans.

We wrote about real heroes, the kind of individuals our children need to look up to, the kind of heroes that are not transient or created.

One of the most extraordinary acts of heroism during World War II occurred in the icy waters off Greenland after a U.S. Army transport ship was hit by a German torpedo and began to sink rapidly. When it became apparent there were not enough life jackets, four U.S. Army chaplains removed theirs, handed them to frightened young soldiers, and chose to go down with ship…

…Amid the disorder, the four Army chaplains quietly spread out among the soldiers, preaching courage to the frightened, offering prayers to the wounded, and guiding the disoriented.

After most of the survivors had struggled up on deck, the four chaplains opened a storage locker and began handing out life jackets. Soon they ran out.

“Padre,” a young soldier hollered, “I’ve lost my life jacket and I can’t swim!”

One of the four chaplains, it is not known which, removed his and said, “Here, take mine. I won’t need it. I’m staying.” The other three followed his example.

“It was,” an eyewitness recalled, “the finest thing I have ever seen or hope to see this side of heaven.”

…the last thing seen of the ship by witnesses was the four chaplains, standing on deck with their arms linked, praying as the ship went down.

More on the four chaplains, here, here and here.

There are no other heroes or finer examples of what America has created, anywhere- not in Hollywood, in Congress or even the White House.

The Anchoress offered a prayer for the real heroes that have emerged from our midst.

Dear Lord, our troops are scattered throughout the world, please bless and protect them. Please bless those soldiers who are injured, with skilled medics and doctors and nurses…bless those who are lonely with a sense of your nearness and consolation. Bless those who are afraid with the presence of your most excellent angels. Give them worthy chaplains, companionship, decent food, restful sleep, and most importantly a sense of satisfaction in duty and clear evidence of the differences they are making for the better, in the lives of those whom they currently train and protect in Iraq, and throughout the world. Guide their jeeps and convoys and ships and planes away from mines and enemy fire. And Lord, please, let them know, somehow, that while they are far away, and may often feel alone, they have the prayers and thanks of so many millions of us here at home, here in America, where life has more or less gone back to “normal” since 2001, thanks in huge measure to the troops I pray for tonight, and their CIC. Bless them all and keep them, Lord, and bless and comfort their families who miss them daily. We know that our troops have volunteered to put themselves in harms way for the benefit of all in this nation – even those who do not understand, do not wish to understand, will never understand – and we know that all they ask in return is that America keep the faith with them, and hang in there ’til the end, that America will not cut and run and render all of the work our troops have done, all of their sacrifices, meaningless. Pour out your blessings upon our troops, their families and our President…

There are those who are prayed for and those who do the praying. They are American heroes, each and every one.

On this Fourth of July, it bears remembering that it was the little people who founded, guided and shepherded this country into what it is today. There were town halls and town squares, debates, speeches and sermons. The greatness of this country was that it was founded and designed from the ground up. All votes were equal votes. All voices were equal voices. What needed correcting, was corrected. What needed adjusting, was adjusted. And so it will always be, in this republic. It will always be the little person who will guide this nation. It will be his or her voice that will reverberate in the hearts of those others who yearn to be as free as we are.

Nathan Hale was an everyman, caught up in extraordinary times. He didn’t read from a script. There were no cameras, press corps or handlers or publicists anywhere in sight. He was an ordinary man, doing what he believed in- not because he believed it was his his destiny to be heard by multitudes, but because the destiny he chose was his own, without the fanfare and attention.

Nathan Hale is a hero, not because of his death, but rather because of the life he led.

Nathan Hale was a graduate of Yale. More importantly, he was a schoolteacher.