Bridging the Gap: Heroism for the Classroom

Why this theme?

Out of the seemingly endless quagmire of the death and suffering that was and is the Vietnam experience you find yourself looking for something of value, something precious and meaningful that might come out of it all...sparks of humanity in a sea of inhumanity. Perhaps it is too much to ask for. However, in reflecting on the characters in the conflict, and having met participants—living pieces of history—one can find shining examples of compassion, honor, and even love.... One can find heroes.

Introduction

How can heroism be a tool of education? There is a great value in identifying heroes, but there can be a danger in creating mythical, god-like figures. It can change the value of people's stories, and reduce them to unrealistic hero-worship, losing the ability/opportunity to identify on a human level with the historic figure. The Teaching American History Institute and Brown University brought to light several themes during the 2005 summer program "Vietnam: Other Voices." One such theme is heroism. Like the Vietnam War, the search for heroes of that war breeds controversy. In reflecting on the study of primary source documents, seminars hosted by members of the academic community, and panel discussions from actual participants in the war, the following thoughts have been presented in pursuit of expanding the study of the Vietnam War in the classroom.

Entries

In group discussion and personal reflection, one can arrive at several questions regarding heroism in general, and as it pertains to teaching the Vietnam War. They are as follows: What is a hero? How do you define a hero? What is the value/pitfall of hero-worship?   Why do we as humans need a hero? How does one better utilize or modify the use of heroism in education?

The task of defining a hero seems easy with the flood of images that pools in the mind when asked. However, as the list of possible characteristics and those figures that represent them continues to grow, it becomes increasingly difficult to compile a concise list. There must be some list of standards that can allow the cream to rise to the top, right?   But what about the little guy?   The everyday hero, the individual whose actions are not geopolitically significant but are nonetheless important, where does he or she fit? Of course not all heroes are giant mytho-historic dead white men. The struggle will ultimately continue until, as an educator, one arrives at the bland, yet teacher-friendly: A hero is an ordinary person who finds themselves in an extraordinary situation and performs conduct admirably and honorably...worthy of emulation.   Sounds pretty good, but that could be anybody! That would mean, depending on which side one finds oneself, one man's victim is another man's villain, one man's hero is another man's anti-hero. And here one is confronted by the other questions regarding heroism.

Certainly the accessibility of becoming a hero, insofar as any one world leader or man on the street can be a hero, highlights a pitfall of heroism. The sheer number of heroes one can list (both big name and small) poses another difficulty: when we try to reduce the list to a manageable number that effectively illustrates the characteristics. Attention becomes so focused on the few, myth takes over, and rather than revising the list we attempt to attribute new interpretations of heroism, and the actions of modern heroes to those of old.   It is a reduction of contemporaries to following in the footsteps of the old guard. Using this way of thinking, HONESTY has no contemporary heroic image because George Washington has the monopoly on that characteristic as shown in the "cherry tree myth."

On the other hand, what is so wrong with the Washington-cherry tree myth as an illustration of the heroism of honesty? The value of lessons like these is the reason heroes are recognized. However, students' identification with Washington is gulfed by two hundred and some-odd years of history. Where are the modern-day examples that show students that the Washington myth is still alive and well? Sometimes the contemporary media would have us believe that there are no heroes, in our fast food, high-priced, contract hold-out world. To counter the pitfall of over-reaching heroism with myth and legend, we need the identifiable, real, and contemporary hero. There's nothing wrong with the myth as long as we can continue to connect to it.

Humanity needs heroes to encompass the Platonic idea of virt?, that humans can possess something that drives us in a pursuit of a greater good. Machiavelli would contend that virt? is the sum of those characteristics that oppose Plato's, needed in pursuit of gaining and maintaining power...perhaps our anti-hero. Without the anti-heroes, our heroes lack the controversy/struggle necessary to legitimize their use. Found within that controversy and struggle are the lessons and tools of heroism in educating students. Current social climates have seemingly dictated to the anti-hero, portrayal by the media of the "I didn't ask to be a role-model" school of thought. At this time, this disconnect between the heroes of old and the lessons they teach is seemingly insurmountable to students. That is why the discoveries and reflections made at the TAH Institute Choices program "Vietnam: Other Voices," has helped provide those first steps to closing the gap.   Here is what can be learned from some of these "voices."

The experience of the Tuesday, July 8 th panel compelled the study of the members of that panel as individuals possessing essential heroic characteristics. Their experiences may provide a contemporary connection with students on which to reevaluate heroism.

An obvious point of view for a panel discussion about Vietnam, would be that of an armored cavalry lieutenant. It was not the battle, but rather the bond with the troops under his command that made Professor Albion Bergstrom's experience poignant. Quiet confidence in leadership and good humor, as well as genuine concern for his men, distinguished him as a man worthy of emulation. These characteristics keep morale high even in the most adverse conditions.  

Beyond his ability to lead them into battle, his concern for their humanity provides a lesson that outlasted the war.   Having children late in life, his admiration for his men compelled him to name his first daughter Victoria, after a sergeant under his command. His lasting respect for his men, and the friendships he built with them, not only served them well in combat, but lasted long after the war's end, in fact to this day. Throughout his time on the panel, Bergstom said less about what he had accomplished and more about what his men had done, attempting to shift the title of hero from himself to his men, which is heroic in itself.   Leadership is more than giving directions, it is also caring. Teachers would do well to incorporate this lesson into their classroom.

Dr. Linda Schwartz served as a nurse in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. Her stories were not of the typical courage in battle or the struggle to survive in captivity one expects from a Vietnam veteran. However, her story is still moving. As a young nurse she faced the results of the meat-grinder that is war. For the sake of her patients, she approached each day with a smile, kind words, and an abundance of compassion. Even when her visceral response to the horrors she witnessed might have overwhelmed her, for the sake of the wounded and dying, she had to maintain her composure during a seemingly impossible job.

Veterans of any armed conflict will tell stories of nurses who served in those warehouses for the dying, disfigured, and crippled, possessed of an uncommon valor.   Schwartz herself told stories of her struggle to overcome her own pity when treating a quadruple-amputee, in her own words, "a talking torso," in order to exude confidence, strength, and hope for her patient.   In the simple act of placing puppies on the beds of blinded soldiers and allowing the dogs to lick their faces, the men were able to feel love.   For her, "war is defined by each individual's experience."

Dr. Schwartz embodies the finest traditions of her profession in that respect. She was one of the angels of mercy who gave aid and comfort to those who might otherwise have withered.   Her heroism in the face of almost overwhelming adversity, is therefore unquestionable. In fact, she is the very soul of heroism.

Unlike many who attempted to "dodge" the draft during the Vietnam War, Jerry Elmer is proud to call himself a "draft-resister."  He wishes neither to be associated with the so-called "counter culture" of the 1960s nor with those who simply wished to avoid being drafted. For Mr. Elmer his resistance to the draft had its basis in deeply held philosophical convictions regarding civil disobedience in response to laws he deemed unjust. Moreover, his was not a blanket condemnation of our system of law (he is in fact a practicing attorney), but a belief that there are times when individuals must obey a higher law than that of the state.

Nearly forty years after his refusal to submit to the draft, Jerry Elmer is still dedicated to the service of that higher law. In that sense, his acts take on a heroic character. Elmer's open, unabashed, and nonviolent resistance to the draft is reminiscent of the struggles of other figures idealized for their nonviolent movements such as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On the panel sat a man who epitomized the word hero, Porter Halyburton. A professor at the Naval War College now, Halyburton was a POW in Hanoi from 1965-73. A man proud of his service, proud of his country, but humble of his own sacrifices, in the dark days of his time in the "Hanoi Hilton," Halyburton fought a different war. He struggled with the brutality of the North Vietnamese guards while holding onto his own humanity. Hoping to exploit the obvious racial tensions in the United States, the guards partnered him with Fred Cherry, an African-American pilot POW. Instead of emulating the racial upheaval back home, these two men drew closer, sharing a bond, and giving them strength to persevere. While many POWs used hatred towards their guards and the communist system that oppressed them as a survival technique to get them through the rigors of their captivity, Halyburton said "hatred is a prison in and of itself."  Halyburton realized that if he took with him that hatred after being released, he would be trading one type of prison for another. Upon being released from prison in 1973, Halyburton turned towards the prison, held up his hand, and said "I forgive you."  Porter Halyburton is a hero....an ordinary man in a extraordinary situation steeling himself for the struggle but never losing touch of his humanity. How many of us could survive his ordeal and then turn, forgive, and rebuild a life?

Conclusion

In an era where self-serving, self-indulgent people are held up as cultural icons—the "new" hero—it is ever more important for all of us to reexamine what we truly believe to be heroic characteristics. True heroism is not to be found in self-satisfying actions. True heroism is found in acts of sacrifice, in the maintenance of honor and dignity in the face of adversity, and in acts of compassion, camaraderie and friendship. It can be found in acts of defiance, but also in acts of love and kindness. It can genuinely be found in actions that restore humanity to those from whom it has been taken or denied. Heroism is found in common acts of goodness that transform degradation into regeneration, and in doing so are of a decidedly uncommon character. In the end, heroism is finding the best within ourselves and giving it back to our fellow man.

Reflective writing prepared by:
Matt Beiriger—Millard South High School, Omaha, NE
Bill Deardoff—Burke High School, Omaha, NE
Russel Olson—Meridian High School, Haslett, Michigan
Curtis Weber—Benson High School, Omaha, NE