I believe the term hero is thrown about way to freely in our society.
If a person scores the winning goal/try/touchdown or whatever in the final seconds of a grand final, or breaks a swimming world record they are not a hero.
They are a champion, fine. But not a hero.
Someone who risks their life to run into a burning building and rescues three kids or something of the sort is a hero.
Now, I am all for the troops of any war. They fight for their country and our way of life and I respect that above all others. But recently an Australian troop died in Iraq when he accidently shot himself (I am alittle sketchy on the details).
This man is most certainly a warrior, but is he a hero?
If it was a firefight they were engaged in, and he had saved the lives of others before his was take, then yes. He is a hero.
But is the act of being there, noble and couragous though it may be, enough to classify someone as a hero?
Is there some other classification that suits them better?