heroics

I am disappointed and aggrevated by some in the blogosphere, an example here, who want to paint the victims and survivors of the Virginia Tech shootings as weak, lily-livered cowards who allowed themselves and their fellow students to be gunned down without putting up a fight. These folks want to re-write 1 week old history to make a point that Christian values are dead, or that men are not as manly as they used to be.

Several Tech students displayed courage worthy of Medal of Honor recipients, the families of the victims have shown bravery in standing up to the despicable acts of NBC, and the Student Government has put their foot down and told the media vultures to leave the campus.

Virginia Tech has a history of producing men of valor, the pillars above the War Memorial Chapel are inscribed with the names of those killed on America's battlefields. Last week one of the members of the Corps of Cadets tried to take out the shooter, but was gunned down in the process. Another of the students, Ryan Clark, a member of the Marching Virginians, raced to a room in West AJ dorm to use diplomacy to get the gun away from the shooter, but was also killed for his efforts. A third student, Kevin Sterne, an Eagle Scout, tied a tourniquet around his leg after he was shot twice and crawled to the door to brace it with a desk when the shooter came back to kill more of his peers. All three students show how we still can and do train men to be brave and fight for something larger than oneself.

I am so impressed with the courage shown by faculty and students on April 16th, the dignity shown by the families of the injured and victims, and the prayers and heartfelt tears from people all over the world. I have never been more proud to be a Hokie than this past week-Go Tech Go, Huah!