“Kenneth Milstead, a 2nd Platoon buddy of Mike, Ira, Franklin, and Harlon, had just dropped into a shallow foxhole he'd dug when a shell landed beside him and blew him out again. Blood streamed from the embedded fragments in his face. "I could have been evacuated," Milstead recalled, "but the Japanese had pissed me off. I went from being scared to being angry. That was the day I became a Marine.” HeroesFighting SpiritWorld War TwoUsmcIwo JimaUs Marine CorpsUs MarinesBad Asses Book:Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima Source: Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima
“Today the word "hero" has been diminished. confused with "celebrity." But in my father's generation the word meant something. celebrities seek fame. They take actions to get attention. Most often, the actions they take have no particular moral content. Heroes are heroes because they have risked something to help others. Their actions involve courage. Often, those heroes have been indifferent to the public's attention. But at least, the hero could understand the focus of the emotion.” HeroesInsperationalCelebrity Book:Flags of Our Fathers Source: Flags of Our Fathers