Every day we hear of this politician or that professional ball player, actors or singer do this or that and people look at them as heroes.

Bridges, roads, buildings, and even stars in a sidewalk to honor them.

Politicians are voted into office by taxpayers and paid with our tax dollars and are supposed to be trusted to do what we vote them in there for. Trusting them is questionable in the way our economy is looking. They do not pay for health care and get the best health care that we pay for.

Professional ball players, actors, singers, and coaches make their money off of all the people that pay to see them.

I am not taking anything away from them, but we need to stand back and look at what is important in values and morals and who we look to as heroes.

A normal person only has dreams of making that kind of money or prestige, and a normal person works very hard to make ends meet and pay the bills to take care of our families. This was written to make this point.

Let’s look at real heroes that put their lives on the line for our freedom everyday that do not get the money, prestige, or news coverage of the above people, our military.

We do not buy tickets to go overseas to watch them fight and die for our freedom. The product they sell everyday is their lives. They need our support and prayers. They do not have bridges, roads, buildings, stars on sidewalks, or even signs put up in towns to honor them. There are mothers, daughters, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and dads every day losing their lives for us.

We had a son in the military and he served in Iraq for a year. He was one of the lucky soldiers that came home.

Other families lost loved ones. When we lose a soldier, they tell their name on TV and that is it. There are no weeks of media coverage. Our government only tells us what they want us to know.

Talk to a soldier that was there to find out the truth. Our soldiers are professionals to the core and are the real heroes that have families that are normal and have one dream of seeing their loved one come home alive.

If you want to name something, use a soldier’s name to honor them and their families, these are my heroes. Like the song says, “They work hard for their money.”

Thank you, God bless,

Thomas E. Trader Sr.

Paden City