Give that High-Five

In modern times, the world ‘hero’ is thrown around all of the time. However, what truly defines someone as a hero? Do they wear a cape and fly around the world saving damsels in distress? Or can ordinary people be heroes too? Heroes arise from the shadows during times of devastating crisis and when no one else is willing to stand up, they are the first in line. They dedicate their life to something larger than themselves, for another person, for a country, or maybe just for a belief. In World War Two, amidst the pain, death, and horror of warfare, many heroes rose to the occasion to remind us of the resilience of the human spirit. The people who first come to mind as heroes are definitely the soldiers, civilians, and …show more content…
Some of the forgotten heroes of WWII were the women all over the world who supported the troops. They drove trucks, repaired airplanes, worked as laboratory technicians, rigged parachutes, served as radio operators, analyzed photographs, and even trained anti-aircraft artillery gunners by acting as flying targets. Even the ones who didn’t even directly contribute to the war effort were still heroes in their own right. When the men left, they managed household finances, learned to fix cars, and we employed in the empty plants that needed workers. Like the soldiers in the trenches, the women at home were still fearless, valiant, selfless, fought for a cause that they were deeply passionate about, and most importantly, they also created worldwide change for the better that still reverberates to this day. They challenged the traditional gender roles that society forced upon women at that time just to help their soldiers and country in any way. These women have inspired and opened so many opportunities for the generations of girls just like me to empower myself because of my gender and to always know that yes, I can do it. They didn’t have to save thousands of Jews or liberate a continent to become a hero, they only had to inspire one …show more content…
I volunteer at my local hospital and when I initially signed up, I had envisioned that I would be saving people’s lives and be the hero of random strangers. However, I was slightly disheartened, when on the first day, I realized that my job for two hours every week was to push patients around the hospital. Every day, doctors defy odds and give people another chance at life, as they are some of the true heroes of modern society, and yet, I was cast merely as a spectator, denied permission of every reaching their status, but I still carried out my duties faithfully. One of the very first patients I had transported was a child getting surgery for a lung replacement. She was very nervous about the procedure, as any eight-year-old girl would be. Nothing I could say would be as reassuring as the surgeon’s work, yet before she went in to the operating room, I managed to give her a quick high-five. Not surprisingly, she was absorbed with the doctors talking to her about the procedure and barely noticed me. Her surgery was a success and a few weeks later she sent a note to the hospital, thanking all the surgeons and hospital personnel for giving her life back to her and for all the wonderful service, support, and comfort she received. In her note, the act of kindness that she specially acknowledged above all else was that