The word “hero” doesn’t mean what it did a few years ago. It used to mean something. You were called a hero when you had saved someone’s life. You were called a hero when you had risked your own life for the benefit of others. The word “hero” has since lost its value. A hero nowadays is an athlete who saves a lost game, a track athlete who can outrun the rest. Being a hero has lost its honor.
One of our real heroes is John Woolston. John is a WWII Veteran. His contribution and that of his fellow shipmates was instrumental in helping to end the World War. There are very few people on this earth who can say that. He was once part of the crew of the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
Captain Brad Schumaker, a pilot for Alaska Airlines knew this. He spotted a Veteran hat that identified John Woolston as a former crew member at that ship. He called John to the front on the plane and asked for everyone’s attention while he got on the intercom. He decided to tell everyone about who John was and why he was a hero.
The U.S.S. Indianapolis had one of the most difficult and dangerous at the time: to deliver the bomb that would later be used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They had to get it there undetected and come back safely. After finding their ways around nearby enemy ships, they did eventually deliver the valuable cargo.
Unfortunately, a Japanese submarine got lucky. They found the U.S.S. Indianapolis and fired two torpedoes. The U.S.S. Indianapolis went down after only 12 minutes on July 30th, 1945. The total crew members aboard were about 1196. Some of the men were lost immediately when the ship went down. About 800 or so, survived the initial sinking while wearing life jackets. They were in the sea for about 5 days. Many more lives would be lost during those 5 days for many reasons, including sharks.
When rescue teams got to them, 321 people were rescued. After the rescue effort only 317 people eventually survived, including John Woolston. Of those 317 people who were rescued, only 22 survive to this day. The captain goes on to say that John is a brave person that we all owe an incredible debt of gratitude. The captain thanks him for his service. John does not say anything during the speech, he acts humble and reserved. Come to think of it, that’s how heroes always act.
