Word Celebrity Blog

Who Are Your Heroes?

Do your Heroes look like this?



















Or do your Heroes look more like this?

























For the past year I have been writing about HEROES. Most of them have been American Heroes: that is because I am an American.

When I am writing about them I try to use their proper name, instead of pronouns, as much as possible and does not sound too repetitive. I do this because I know that the best way to remember something is by reading or saying it over and over again. I want the reader to remember the hero that I am writing about. I also use a lot of photographs and graphics for the same reasons.

I have received many e-mails thanking me for particular posts. I am grateful for the feedback.

One of the articles that I wrote was about the Raid in Cabanatuan. I received an email from a lady from London in the United Kingdom, telling me a little bit about her hero: her father who was one of the scouts.

My thanks to her for what her father has done and for telling me about it.

Her e-mail reads:

"Many thanks for your article on the Raid in Cabanatuan.  I submitted a comment but, as it has been a few weeks since your blog on it and the risk of oversight, I thought to likewise extend my thanks by e-mail. I have only just read my fathers papers and been researching material on the raid in Cabanatuan.in WWII. 

Dad was one of those 284 Filipino guerrillas.  Dad was with the Philippines Scouts from February 1941 until July 1946, a Bataan POW from April 1942 and was released from Capas on August 7, 1942 severely ill from malaria, dysentery, beri-beri.  He joined Squadron 311 of Major Lapham’s Guerrillas and was appointed 1st Sgt under Captain Carlos C Nucom.  My father was one of those handpicked by the Captain to guide Lts Nellist and Runsville(?) with reconnoiter of POW camp defenses in Cabu, Cabanatuan to facilitate liberation of American POWs.  Attached to various units of the US Army in February 1945 in Nueva Ecija and on advise by the GI’s to report back to military control at the US replacement depot (being that he was a Philippine Scout) and, having informed Captain Nocum of the position, my Dad was separated from LGAF Squadron 311 to report to the US Army in Camp Olivas, Pampanga and was assigned to the 5th MP Battalion (PS) AUS.  Dad passed away in 1989.

Best wishes.

Sonia O'Leary
London, UK"


How many War Veterans do you Know?  It is probably more than you realize.  In the town in which I live, I see them every day.  I run into them in the grocery and hardware store, or at the Post Office or Library.  I pass them on the street.

They don't talk about it much, only to another veteran, because they feel that most people don't care or wouldn't understand.

Most of the time they choose to forget the memories, but, they sneak back while they sleep, night after night, after night.



The following are what the Veterans might look like.





























































































All of the above photographs are REAL War Veterans and Heroes. They are of different ethnic backgrounds, different races, different political views, different social status, but, THEY ARE ALL HEROES.


Veteran's Day can be any day that we choose to make it.