Thursday, November 01, 2007

Doesn't Matter

Lost in the silliness of the “hero or not?” debate over the 9/11 NYC cop who may have been a drug abuser is the fact that, whether a situation for heroism ever arises (I’ve been given a medal for courage and valor just because I was in a building when it was blown up and helped carry someone out), these folks, the cops and firefighters, live lives that most of us chose not to live precisely because they can lead to stress and abuse. We do little to promote their mental health or to assure them that we appreciate that they have taken on these jobs for us. Hero? Not hero? Doesn’t matter. Most of us, our spouses or partners are shocked and surprised when someone shows up at the door saying we’ve been killed at work. These guys, their spouses or partners expect it. That’s all that has to be said. So, just show them the honor they deserve, heroic or not, for doing their jobs well.

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