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| Tommy Capps, Finalist for 2013 American Hero of the Year |
Independence Day is a time for
Americans to take stock of their freedom and think about the human
sacrifice that has given it to us. As far as unpopular wars, the
Vietnam War has to be at the top of the list. We were a country
divided, and the very people who risked their lives to fight for our
country were not given a heroes’ welcome when they returned home.
For the first time, war was brought
into American homes on the news each day. Even the blood and gore we
saw on TV didn’t do justice to the reality of being in a jungle
with no way to tell friend from foe.
The Wall in Washington D.C. lists the
names of 58,272 people who lost their lives in Vietnam. Others came
home injured in body, and countless others came home with shattered
spirit. Vietnam veterans became a stereotype, and Jim would often
turn a TV show off in disgust saying, “Another crazed Vietnam
veteran is the killer.” Hollywood’s idea of a Vietnam veteran was
of a trained killer, not a young man who was drafted into jungle
warfare against an invisible enemy.
When my eighteen-year-old brother Tommy
was drafted and sent to Vietnam, we were all scared for what he would
be facing, but my mother was terrified. Three months after his tour
of duty began, I woke up one night to hear voices and my mother
crying and I knew it had to be about Tommy. I kept thinking, he
can’t be dead or I would feel it. I finally realized he had
been wounded and was in the states.
Recently, my sister-in-law nominated
Tommy for the American Hero of the Year award. This time, the phone
call was good news when my brother found out he was a finalist for
Hero of the Year when he didn’t even know he had been nominated.
Tommy has shown courage his entire
life. After Vietnam he returned to high school and graduated the same
year I did. He was a positive influence on the high school kids and
I’m sure a lot of would-be dropouts continued their education. He
worked in law enforcement as a deputy, chief of police, and
detective. Eventually, he worked for the state of Missouri
investigating child abuse cases. He was instrumental in sending 230
child abusers and pedophiles to prison. In a five-hundred word essay,
Teresa only touched on a few of the highlights. Tommy’s family and
friends could tell hundreds of stories about how he’s made his
corner of the world better. How he’s been the one you could count
on to always do the right thing—maybe not exactly what you asked
for, but what you needed.
Tommy has been my hero for years, now
America has a chance to make him their hero too. Go to the website
http://militaryhero.com/vote
and sign up for an account. Once you’ve signed up, sign in and
vote once each day between now and August 6. Tommy is already a
winner in the contest as well as life.
Copyright (c) July 2013 by L.S. Fisher
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