The word “hero†gets thrown around rather casually these days. Different athletes are called heroes because they can run fast or throw a ball far. Celebrities get called heroes when they bring a certain fan up onto the stage with them.
But what really constitutes a hero?
Captain Brad Schumaker, a pilot for Alaska Airlines, agrees that the word has lost much of its meaning, and he took the time recently to educate his passengers on what a true hero looks like.
Schumaker spotted John Woolston as soon as he got on the plane. The elderly gentleman was wearing a hat that identified him as a World War II veteran.
Not only is Woolston a WWII vet, he is one of the few remaining survivors of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, a ship whose crew was incredibly instrumental in ending the war, and which was sunk by a Japanese submarine when it was on the way back from its top-secret and crucial mission.
Schumaker called Woolston to the front of the plane and got on the intercom to share this true hero’s incredible story with the rest of the passengers.
By the end there weren’t too many dry eyes left onboard, and when you hear what he had to say you’ll know exactly why.
“Now, we talk about heroes being people who can hit a ball really good or run particularly fast, or what have you. Whatever the case might be, I think it’s lost a little bit of its gravity.â€
Then he said something that left many of the passengers stunned.
“I think it’s safe to say, courtesy of this gentleman and all of his shipmates, we’re free,†Schumaker said.
He went on to tell the harrowing story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
Woolson and the other 1,195 men onboard the ship were tasked with the mission of delivering the bomb that would later be dropped on Hiroshima.
On their way back, a Japanese submarine found them and hit the ship with two torpedoes. In only 12 minutes, the ship was gone.
Of the almost 1,200 men onboard, only about 800 survived the initial sinking. For five days they bobbed in the South Pacific, praying for a rescue. Hundreds more lost their lives during that time, many of them to sharks.
When they were finally rescued, only 321 men remained, and only 317 survived after that.
The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis was the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. Today only 22 of the original crew are still alive, Captain Woolston being one of them.
“
- ne of the great men of World War II, and somebody that I personally feel we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to, and a tremendous honor,†Captain Schumaker said before turning to Woolston. “Thank you for your service.â€
As Woolston made his way back to the first-class seat they had given him, the other passengers reached out to shake his hand, letting him know what an honor it was just to be on the same plane as him.
That is pretty neat and something that should happen MUCH more often. I always try to thank anyone who I see wearing a service hat and also want to thank the ones here for their service. While I would have served if called, I consider myself somewhat lucky that I wasn't. Lucky - not that the service is all that bad of a thing to do, but because many of my high school friends did not return from Nam in the same condition as when they went. Some in body bags and others with some physical and mental health issues.
Jerry
GREAT post! Fine thing for the plane captain to do.
An acquaintance of mine, Ed Harrell, was on the Indianapolis. He was one of the on board Marine detachment and late in life his son got him to write a book about it, OUT OF THE DEPTHS. I worked with his son for awhile and got to know Ed. When you meet a gracious, successful businessman, it is hard to imagine what he went through and the toughness behind that smiling face. I suspect the same of Mr. JohnP
Thank you Okanagan but no way, no how can I be compared to Mr. John Woolston or anyone on-board the Indianapolis. I think we will never again see men as great and as honorable as we seen during that great conflict. My dad served with a Ranger unit in the European Theater and later in Indo-China with General "Vinegar" Joe and the Merrill Raiders. He never told me any stories about himself but he told me stories about the guys he served with. His stories are what inspired me to take the path that I took in my military career.
And I truly believe nasty is right when he said: "The word “hero†gets thrown around rather casually these days. Different athletes are called heroes because they can run fast or throw a ball far. Celebrities get called heroes when they bring a certain fan up onto the stage with them."
We have so watered down the word hero that now it has become almost meaningless.
The saddest part about all this hero worship is that nobody ever publicly talks about who their true hero should be. I wish my hero was able to make the trip to LBL. You would all like my Dad.