Remember the Real Heroes

You know, there is little doubt that Paragon City is filled with lots of heroes. It takes a special breed to go out and fight for what is right, especially against the superpowered legions of evil that plague the city.

This Memorial Day, however, I want you to remember an even more special breed out there: the men and women who have no super powers yet still swear an oath to fight evil. These men and women are the men and women of the armed forces. They cannot shrug off bullets as if they are raindrops. They cannot pick up trucks and throw them casually at enemies who would do them harm. They cannot spin webs in opponents' minds by mere thought. They cannot shoot searing flames from their fingertips. Yet we depend on these men and women not just in Paragon City, but around the world, to keep us safe.

I also want you to remember the men and women who are my personal heroes, the paragons of courage in the days before heroes were common on the streets. These men and women refused to shirk the task of defending a country, a people, and a way of life, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds during wars the scale of which this generation has never seen. Many of these men and women even made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their very lives to protect the many more back at home. This is a debt that we can never repay except by keeping you in our most sacred thoughts and bestowing upon your memory our highest honors.

Every once in a while, especially on days such as Memorial Day, I get stopped by various citizens and thanked for my own service. Yet still, I am humbled by the courage and sacrifice made by men and women much greater than myself. To those men and women, especially the men and women who continue to defend our freedom and our homeland today, I salute you. Keep up the great work, and know that we all feel a gratitude so immense that mere words could never express it enough. Sometimes in a country that seems to have gone completely mad, your bravery is a beacon of hope and never fails to make me stand tall and proud to say that I am an American.

To those readers who have friends or relatives who have made this commitment in the past or the present, please take a moment to talk to them and convey your gratitude. Also, try not to confine these sentiments to a mere day or two each year; I assure you that their commitment was significantly longer. And while you are thanking them, please convey my appreciation as well. Even though I may not know your friend or relative personally, I do wish for them to know that the complete strangers whose lives they are fighting for are deeply thankful for their efforts.

Toño Vasquez