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THE HERO'S HALL OF FAME
One day soon, we intend to
build a museum on our North Hero
property to honor the quiet
heroes of the world...not the
well paid ones like Michael
Jordan...but the silent heroes,
who step from ordinary lives to
save a child, a neighborhood, or
a dream. Often as not, they are
given a moment of notoriety,
then discarded with the day-old
newspapers.
What a shame!
The Hero's Hall of Fame
will, one day, create a
permanent home for these amazing
tales.
Here is a modest
beginning............
One of Our Favorite Heroic
Tales
Danny Santos, age 21, was
driving home from work, heading
towards Spring Valley, New York.
In due course, the massive
Tappan Zee Bridge came into
view, and below it, the Hudson
River. Though not as famous as
the Golden Gate, the Tappan Zee
Bridge is every bit as
inspiring. It seems closer to
the clouds than the river!
Danny began to cross with the
commuter flow. Suddenly, a Chevy
Blazer up ahead slammed into the
railing. A woman dashed from the
car, ran to the rail, and
without hesitation...jumped off.
She would fall 150 feet to the
river, and to almost certain
death, for no known person had
ever survived the fall.
Danny stopped his pick-up
immediately. He walked over to
the rail and looked down. There
in the river, he could see the
tiny image of a woman struggling
in the water. Calmly, he handed
his wallet to a stranger, looked
again, climbed up on the
rail...and did a swan dive into
the evening air.
By some miracle, he too
survived the drop and swam to
the aid of the woman. A boat
appeared and pulled both of them
from the cold waters. The woman
was semi-conscious, but alive.
Danny's back was completely
blue, but not broken. Soon he
was back at work, also resuming
his duties as a volunteer
fireman.
Thousand of letters began to
arrive. We wonder if anyone
bothered to ask if he had gotten
his wallet back.
Some questioned his
wisdom...we stand in awe of his
courage. |