What does Chris Hayes think a hero is?

Chris Hayes doesn't seem to understand what makes someone a hero. "Doing his job" a person puts on his /her uniform because they are very different from people like Hayes.

A hero is a regular person who rises about being ordinary. We use the word for regular people putting their own lives on the line for the sake of someone else, yet they live the same way the rest of us do the rest of the time. Same hopes, dreams and problems but they managed somehow to show the rest of us how very different they are.

We have some making it their careers to save lives. They go into law enforcement knowing they could be killed in the line of duty as well as usually being the last person you want to see unless you need them.

Firefighters and EMT responders know they could also die in the line of duty but people are happy when they show up simply because they only show up when you need them.

Even in these groups there are some going above and beyond what is expected of them, above the ordinary for their class. We call them all heroes but the difference comes when they call one of their own hero.

It looks like there is a heated debate going on about who is a hero.

Overheard on CNN.com: Does the uniform make the hero?
May 29th, 2012

Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.

When a soldier puts on his uniform for the first time, has he joined the ranks of our nation’s heroes? Or is he simply doing his job? MSNBC’s Chris Hayes chose Memorial Day to share his opinion that military service alone does not a hero make – an opinion he quickly rescinded and publicly apologized for amid a barrage of criticism.

While many thought the newsman was out of line, others supported him as simply exercising his rights to tell an uncomfortable truth.

It all depends on who is using the word.

Hero
he·ro   [heer-oh]

noun, plural he·roes; for 5 also he·ros
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
3. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.
4. Classical Mythology

a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity.
b.(in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability.
c.(in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod.

Medals are given because someone higher up in the military thinks the serviceman or woman deserves it. Calling someone a hero is determined by the person using the word. To me, anyone putting their own lives, wants, desires and needs aside for someone else is a hero. As with everything else, there are different levels of heroic acts but in the end they are very different from the rest of us.