A hero is a person who is admired for his or her achievements and qualities. My heroes include so many people who served in the military. Their sacrifices are often forgotten.

Most veterans of World War II have told me that they are not heroes. They’ll say that they were just doing their jobs. One veteran who is often quoted by the media said that he “was not a hero, but served in a Company of heroes.” Other veterans have told me that the true heroes are those that died in battle.

Duke served in the 82^nd Airborne during World War II. He served while his unit parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day, fought a battle in Holland which was depicted in a movie entitled A Bridge Too Far, and was in Belgium during the Battle of the Budge.

Twins, Carl and Charles served in the Pacific during World War II. Like most veterans, they too are reluctant to talk about their experiences during the War.

Buster was a mechanic. He repaired broken down tanks. The job sounds safer, except that he often volunteered to serve on a unit which retrieved the broken tanks. Often the front lines moved overnight, so that when the retrieval unit went after a broken down tank, Buster’s retrieval unit was actually behind enemy lines when they got to the place where the tank was located.

Jim served in the Navy during the Korean War. He was stationed on a ship near Korea. Like so many others, he never talked about it much.

It's not uncommon for the men and women who served in the armed forces during World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and both Gulf Wars not to want to talk about their wartime experiences. War is horrifying, and many veterans dealt with the horrors they saw by suppressing it deep within themselves.

The veterans I have known are no different. Even when they have told me that they served aboard, they wouldn’t elaborate much. “I wasn’t a hero,” Duke told me once, “and don’t make me out to be.” I didn’t know at the time how to respond to him.

Only after reading about the accomplishments of so many during times of War did I regret not saying to Duke and the others “You may not consider yourself to be a hero, but you served in a unit of men and women who were.”

We all learn from the sacrifices of others, especially those who saw life and death firsthand.

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