"Heroes" written by campers

By Ben Palmer:
Everyday, people die, and millions of people come close to death. There is someone who keeps them from dying. He is not afraid to go into a burning building, race against the clock to save a life, or risk his own life to make sure everyone is safe. He does not wear a cape, but a fire retardant suit, a stethoscope, or a badge. He is a hero.

Elm street and 25th, shots fired. There is always danger around a police cruiser. America’s finest save millions of lives everyday. From traffic stops to shoot outs, the men and women of law enforcement just do their jobs. To the people whom they protect and serve, they are heroes.

Smoke turns the sky black. Orange flames dance in and out of windows. Heroes slide down a brass pole as bells ring. Yellow suits and helmets are the armor these heroes wear. A hose, their sword. Together, they douse the biting flames. Knights in soot covered gear. Firefighters put their lives on the line to do two things. Save the victims, and then kill the red and yellow dragon who attempts to burn everything to a crisp.

Our doctors and nurses have one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Hundreds of people walk into hospitals. Hundreds never walk out again. Being surrounded by death and illness is almost a form of torture. Though their lives are never in danger, every life they touch affects them. Doctors are among the greatest of heroes because their job is to maintain life, in a world filled with death.

Are you going to die tomorrow? There are people who will try to save you. They will put themselves in the line of fire, endure scorching heat, or, if you do slip through their fingers, bare the weight of your death forever. These people are Heroes.



By Elisse Rasmussen:
Someone once said “There is a hero inside all of us.” I think that is true. Heroes are all around us. Hey you may even be a hero. When you do things that are helpful, you are someone’s hero. Jobs people have can make them heroes. Then there is your family…the people you look up to…your own personal heroes. Heroes are on every corner. You need only to look.

Being helpful is something you don’t even realize. Just a feeling that you know is right, a simple task that makes you a hero. An old lady needs to carry in her groceries, and you help her. In your eyes you just did a simple thing, in her eyes you may just be her hero.
Just think about all the jobs that require brave people. Most will think of policemen, firemen, and doctors. I think of teachers. Picture this… a fight breaks out on school grounds. You see a younger girl running down the hall then into a classroom.

"Ms. C!” The little girl gasps, “Ms. C! Help! Please my brother! Fight.” The girl starts the water works now. Soon the teacher and the girl are outside by the fight.
“Stop this right now!” Ms. C yells pulling the guys off each other. The little girl grabs her injured brother. “Ms. C…you’re my hero.”

Family…What is family? A bunch of people you are stuck with your whole life no matter what you do? Or is family your own clan of heroes? The ones who know you the best. The ones who will love you always even if you really mess up. Family equals Hero. Now do heroes really live among us? No heroes…are us and can be seen in the simple things we do in life. What are you going to do today now that you’re a hero?



By Jaeger Hodge:
As I ran though the flaming, hot, hallways of my home, I screamed in fear of what would happen to me. All I could hear was the cracking of the burning walls of my top floor apartment building. I didn’t know how it started or why, but all I knew was I needed to find a way out of there. I looked up to see a big circle of fire right on top of me. I jumped out before the big blast of fire killed me. Charging down of the hallway and about to faint from lack of oxygen, I heard a big pounding sound. I stepped back waiting for whatever was on the other side of the wall to come out of its hiding spot. Right then the wall broke, a man quickly, grabbed me, and we jumped through the window together. Everything went black. I woke up two days later in a hospital room surrounded by my family and friends. Heroes are hard to recognize in today’s society. Even though they are difficult to find, I believe there are still heroes today. Lots of people think that heroes are not alive today, but I’m going to prove them wrong. A hero can be anyone; it could be your parents, friends, firemen, police officers, even the person who walks past you on the street. They can all be heroes if they choose.

Recently in Tokyo Japan there was an incident where someone fell on the track of the subway. A complete stranger jumped in and held the person as the train went right over their heads. That person is a hero because he risked his own life to save someone that he had never met before.
Heroes don’t always have to save humans. They can also save animals with animal CPR. Vets are everyday animal heroes. Vets don’t just help animals; they help the owners by not letting the animals die.

Of course firemen, police officers, and doctors are heroes, but who would have guessed that a book could be a hero too. Say someone is going through a hard time and they are too afraid to reach out to ask another person for help, out of desperation they pick up a book, grasping for help. That book might save their life. Yes books can inspire a person to try something new, think of other options, or simply know that someone else has gone through what they are going through. I think books are some of the most powerful objects we have on our planet.
As you can see anyone or anything can be a hero. You can’t force someone save another person, so do it yourself. You be the hero.



By Tristan Kunz:
As I roll up to a six foot loading dock in down town San Diego I started my ascent into my trick, nollie blindside, my footing was all wrong, and I shot out and hit the back of my head on the curb below me. I simply lay there embarrassed and in pain. All I heard was a voice from above me say, “That was rad, now walk it off and try again.” Those were the words that stuck in my head. The best thing about that day was the satisfaction of knowing one of my favorite skaters, Tommy Sandoval watched me land that nollie blindside. A hero doesn’t have to have a label; he or she can simply be a role model of any shape or size. There are many types of heroes such as, firemen, family, and just people you look up to. A hero from my point of view is someone who has accomplished something great.

Tommy Sandoval is one of my favorite skaters because he went from a high school drop out that skated around San Diego all day, to going on nationwide tours with the Zero Skateboard team. I look up to him the same way hundreds of other kids do, as a skater and as a person.
Fireman is another type of hero; everyday they put there lives on the line to save someone they don’t even know. I have much respect for these modern day heroes because they go though years of training just to hurl themselves into scorching hot flames. To some people being a fireman is just another job, but to others, it’s the raw act of a hero.
Family can be heroes as well, maybe a parent, sibling, or a relative, these are all great examples of different family member heroes. As an example, from my point of view, my brother would be a figure I look up to because he’s only twenty-two and is at the top of his company (San Diego Construction). He has been living on his own for three years now with little to no problems. When I see that, I think of a level of independence and maturity.

If you don’t believe heroes exist today, you may be walking around in a cloud. Open your eyes and start noticing the many acts of kindness around you. Take time to thank a fireman for risking his life, tell your family that you love them, and try to make a difference by doing nice things for people. All and all, there’s no limit as to who can be your hero. Who’s your, “hero?”