What makes a Hero?

I've often had a problem with the overuse of the word "Hero" in our national lexicon. It seems more now it is a buzzword thrown around by politicians who want to be supportive of the military (either genuinely or from self-serving motives). It also seems to be a favorite word for those who don't know any other way to support military and civil servants like police and firefighters. However, I feel it is abused, to the detriment of those who deserve the title.

Popular to contrary belief, I hold not every dead Soldier is a hero. Simply not living isn't heroic, especially since most combat deaths are due to no particular action of the deceased. The problem is, when EVERYONE is a hero, NO ONE is; the word becomes devalued. I also understand hero is subjective, but there has to be a line somewhere, where common sense dictates and the title of Hero remains sacred.

So I pose this quesiton: what makes a Hero? You'll notice I didn't say "What is a hero" or "What do you think are the qualities of a hero" because Heroes are made. To become a hero is not a passive event, but an act or series of acts that raise an individual above his or her peers. I also didn't say, "What does a hero do" because the subjectivity of the word would make it impossible to discern.

I will reduce validity by injecting my own opinion up front. A hero is a person who is confronted by a situation bigger than them, who rises to the challenge and overcomes, for the betterment of those around him, at the potential and likely risk to himself. A hero doesn't fumble blindly into hero-dom. A hero isn't a skilled and trained man who only executes to standard. A hero isn't a firefighter who puts out a fire or a Special Forces Soldier who single handedly takes a machine gun nest and kills 5 enemy fighters or a police officer who arrests a bank robber. A hero is a 9 year old who dials 911 and then re-enters the house to pull her parent from a burning building, an army mechanic who is wounded by shrapnel and dies on a machine gun defending his comrades' evacuation, or a teacher who stops an at gunpoint mugging of an elderly man. Simply doing your job isn't merit for "hero," athough doing your job to such a degree as to meet the above criteria is.

Heros, therefore, are made by the events around them and the choices they make.

Some may not like my definition. Many will feel cheated, if they are unable to call every man and woman in a uniform a hero. But let's expand our terminology and keep the word hero special. Instead, let's take the time to differentiate: let us instead say we have a deep respect for those in uniform, and reserve awarding the title HERO to those among that already special group for those who exemplify the most selfless and courageous of them, lest we lose the meaning of hero and the concept of Heroism falls further into the sands of time.