Real heroes, who also happen to be celebrities

When I was a kid, I grew up around celebrities like Audie Murphy (his life is chronicled in the movie "To Hell and Back") and others. They lived the life they portrayed on screen, and they weren't ashamed of demonstrating their courage time and again. There was an abundance of heroes to look up to, people who had integrity; people kids wanted to grow up into. I think we still need those heroes today.

Prince Harry is a modern hero like this. He put his determination on full display and joined the military. Sure, he's a prince and so isn't quite treated the same as any other soldier but he is in harms way and willingly put himself there. That takes guts, and is laudable. Many celebrities speak out about their particular cause, but rarely put themselves at risk. I understand. It takes courage, and the willingness to sacrifice.

Probably the biggest quality of a hero is accepting the consequences for their actions. They don't shy away from bad or good. If they choose to do it, then they will take the results. It's more than simple courage; it's complex and reasoned beyond emotion. The true hero steps into the breach without complaining that's it's unfair and someone else should do it. They take responsibility. No matter what, they try--sometime failing--and try again until they succeed. True heroes are worthy of imitation, because they actually are examples to follow.

- M