[thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Give him a medal!

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by The Night Writer:
Give him a medal!
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1167970770.shtml


     "We live in a heroic age. Not seldom are we thrilled by deeds of
     heroism where men or women are injured or lose their lives in
     attempting to preserve or rescue their fellows; such the heroes of
     civilization. The heroes of barbarism maimed or killed theirs."

                             - Andrew Carnegie

   A 50-year-old New York man [1]literally leapt to the rescue of a
   stranger on Tuesday in a way that would have made Andrew Carnegie
   proud:

     NEW YORK â Wesley Autrey faced a harrowing choice as he tried to
     rescue a teenager who fell off a platform onto a subway track in
     front of an approaching train: Struggle to hoist him back up to the
     platform in time, or take a chance on finding safety under the
     train.
     At first, he tried to pull the young man up, but he was afraid he
     wouldn't make it in time and they would both be killed.
     "So I just chose to dive on top of him and pin him down," he said.
     Autrey and the teen landed in the drainage trough between the rails
     Tuesday as a southbound No. 1 train entered the 137th Street/City
     College station.
     The train's operator saw them on the tracks and applied the
     emergency brakes.
     Two cars passed over the men _ with about 2 inches to spare, Autrey
     said. The troughs are typically about 12 inches deep but can be as
     shallow as 8 or as deep as 24, New York City Transit officials
     said.
     ...
     Autrey had been waiting for a train with his two young daughters.
     After the train stopped, he heard bystanders scream and yelled out:
     "We're O.K. down here but I've got two daughters up there. Let them
     know their father's O.K.," The New York Times reported.
     While spectators cheered Autrey, hugged him and hailed him as a
     hero, he didn't see it that way.
     "I don't feel like I did something spectacular; I just saw someone
     who needed help," he told the Times. "I did what I felt was right."

   Mr. Autry's story has appropriately been featured on tv and in many
   news stories, and it reminded me of something I learned about several
   years ago: the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, created by the
   well-known industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie
   created the fund, initially endowed with $5 million, in 1904 after
   being inspired by reading of the selfless rescue efforts of people
   responding to a coal-mine disaster.
   The [2]Carnegie Hero Fund Commission has given out more than 9,000
   medals since its inception to individuals who risk their lives to save
   others, including [3]92 people in 2006. Each received a medal and
   grant ($5,000 in 2006). In addition, widows and orphans of rescuers
   receive Carnegie pensions and some children of deceased medal earners
   receive college scholarships. To date the fund has distributed more
   than $29 million in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits,
   and continuing assistance.
   The fund has some interesting requirements. People who save others in
   the line of duty â police, firemen, soldiers â donât qualify, though
   several off-duty individuals have won. People who save family members
   qualify only if they are killed or severely injured in the rescue.
   Essentially, you canât be a hero for doing whatâs expected of you.
   Most of the awards go to people who risked their lives to save
   strangers. For the record, 7 recipients last year died in their
   attempts to save others; two medal winners were in their 70s and one
   was 81; three were 15 to 16 years old; five were women. Medal winners
   were recognized for rescuing others from burning (46), drowning (17),
   assault (15), animal attack (5), accidents (5) and falls (2). You can
   get the details concerning these and other heroes [4]here.
   I celebrate Mr. Autry and wish that the 92 heroes recognized with
   Carnegie medals last year could have received the same attention and
   celebration -- not just because they deserve it, but because we need
   to hear about it. Just think, 92 people; that's nearly two heroes a
   week we could be splashing on our video screens, tabloids, web pages
   and talking about over lunch. I'd much rather hear about these actions
   than some celebimbo who's gone out without her underpants. And, much
   like Carnegie's quote that opened this post, I'd much rather see the
   media focus its attention on those who preserve or rescue their
   fellows as opposed to those who take a bomb into a public place to
   maim or kill theirs.

References

   1. http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jan03/0,4670,SubwayRescue,00.html
   2. http://www.carnegiehero.org/heroFund.php
   3. http://www.carnegiehero.org/awardees_recent.php#9
   4. http://www.carnegiehero.org/awardees_press.php