Heroes in Our Midst

There are heroes all around us, every day, in very quiet corners of our lives doing what they do and knowing what they have done to set themselves apart from the rest of us. But they would never tell you they are different. They would never let on that they have done something extraordinary in their lives.

Many have done their heroic acts in a space and time away from the cameras and away from the view of crowds. They would tell you their actions were just a part of their job, or an instinct, and that anyone would have done the same thing and reacted the same way given the same circumstance. I'm not always so sure of that. I would guess many heroic acts have gone unnoticed and unrecognized, maybe for years or maybe even forever, known only to the heroes themselves and those they helped.

A hero in my midst emerged just the other day, unknown to me in prior conversations over years of interaction. In fact, like most heroes, I didn't hear it from him. I heard about it in the course of a typical conversation with one of his employees while she was telling me he wasn't going to be in this week. He was in Washington DC to receive an "award" with his troop from Vietnam.

Oh.

Then I got to thinking: He was in Vietnam? Wow. I wonder what he did there? I wonder what it must have been like for him? How come I never knew that?

John Sorich, part of the senior management team at Diamonds Direct in Edina, MN, was part of Alpha Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, which engaged in what became known as "The Anonymous Battle." The troop rescued more than 70 fellow U.S. soldiers from a larger North Vietnamese force on March 26, 1970.

The action went largely unnoticed and unrecognized until Alpha Troop's former commander, John Poindexter, documented the battle in great detail and submitted it to the Army six years ago. This led to the unit receiving the highest military honor possible for a unit, The Presidential Unit Citation, at a formal White House ceremony on Tuesday, October 20, 2009.

Details of the battle and rescue can be found in a number of places, but a nice article and account by James Dao of the NY Times, published September 30, 2009, can be read by following this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/us/01vietnam.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&adxnnlx=1256223690-yrHl2RdkcQMMgBmTjIMHeg

An excerpt:

"...Mr. Hobson says he believes Charlie Company would have been “wiped out” if Alpha Troop had not arrived when it did. But at the time, it was just another day in Vietnam. Weeks later, Alpha Troop joined the invasion of Cambodia. And the battle became a footnote to history — or less.

One troop member, August Whitlock, recalled that when he left Vietnam, the soldier processing his papers asked if he had been in any major battles. When Mr. Whitlock mentioned the rescue mission, the soldier scanned a list.

No, the soldier told him, there was no such battle on that date."


It makes one wonder how frequently the details of heroism go unnoticed and unrecognized. For me, I am grateful to have learned of my friend's heroic actions and involvement in a war that is far too often anonymous and, for many, far too readily forgotten. A heartfelt thank you to my friend and business associate, John Sorich, for being a part of something much larger than self and doing what needed to be done, regardless of peril.

And thanks to all the heroes who have gone unsung, carrying out their duties the only way they know how: by doing what needs to be done, every day.