Heroes Among Us

In Spider-Man 2, Aunt May observed that there are too few heroes out there, flying around and protecting us. Heroes are "Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. ... And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us ..."

On Saturday, January 8th, people throughout the United States watched in horror as six people were killed and 12 more were hurt when a gunman opened fire outside a Tucson, Arizona, supermarket. At the same time, we also witnessed a number of heroes among us emerge to save lives and to protect the wounded.

Daniel Hernandez, a young intern for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, ran through the gunfire to protect Giffords after she had been shot and to administer critical early care. In a story at CNN.com, an official credited Hernandez with saving the Congresswoman's life.

"I just really think he's one of the heroes here, because I think it's possible that his swift thinking and his training is what saved her life," said state Rep. Steve Farley of Arizona.

In the CNN story, Hernandez said, "People have been referring to me as a hero. I don't think that I am. ... It just makes me happy to know that I could help her in any way that I could."

Others, such as Patricia Maisch, Bill Badger, Roger Sulzgeber and Joseph Zimudie have been credited with wrestling the weapon from the shooter. Truly, we are witnesses to these heroic acts by everyday people.

Today, like Aunt May, we stand together to catch a glimpse of those who have shown the way, who have demonstrated that there are heroes in every one of us.