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Unsung heroes

  • Published
  • By Col. Gary Goldstone
  • 375th Airlift Wing commander
Irena Sendler, a 5-foot pistol of a woman, defied the Nazi regime and risked her life to save more than 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. She was a Polish Catholic social worker who smuggled children out of the Ghetto during 1940-42 and into the care of many Christian families, convents, hospitals and orphanages throughout Poland. 

She wrote the name of each child on a piece of paper and kept it buried in a jar until after the war. The papers contained the child's real name, the assumed Christian identity and where each one was sent, in hopes that they would be reunited with their families. Unfortunately, most of these parents were among the three million Polish Jews who died of disease and starvation or murdered in the death camps. 

Eventually, the Gestapo arrested and beat her severely. Despite broken legs and feet, she refused to identify her associates or the location of the children. She escaped execution by a firing squad after friends in the resistance movement bribed a German officer. 

After the war, she lived most of her 98 years in obscurity. It's just been within the past few years that she was honored by the Polish Senate and then nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Her story is now documented in a film that aired Sunday night, called "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler." 

She was never one who wanted any attention and said that she felt she did not do enough. She was quoted as saying: "We who were rescuing children are not some kind of heroes. The opposite is true. I continue to have qualms of conscience that I did so little. I could have done more." And later she would offer, "Every child saved with my help is the justification of my existence on this Earth and not a title to glory." 

I wonder how many other unsung heroes are living among us? How many more Irena Sendlers are there? They may not be disguising themselves as Jewish nurses who transport children in suitcases, coffins, sacks or through city sewers to safety. But, there are those among us who offer themselves, their time, talents and abilities to care for and provide for others ... oftentimes in obscurity ... quietly performing acts of service that save a life, bring a smile ... do something that matters. 

The world is still in need of people like Irena. Where there is turmoil, and war, and crisis and natural disaster, there is also opportunity for great service to be rendered. Who will see what's around them and say, "I must do something. I cannot stand by and let this happen." 

As members of the U.S. Air Force, we are part of something greater than ourselves. We are part of an organization and a nation that says, "We will do something." 

We honor our warriors for bravery under fire, but even many of their deeds are known only to those who benefited from their actions. There are many who do not earn Bronze Stars or Medals of Honor, yet they leave family and friends to answer their nation's call and do a work that only they can do. Our Airmen are serving in remote places and yet find ways to bring relief to people in the neighboring villages. It's truly an honor to serve among so many who exemplify that quality of service above self. 

What we do as an Air Force matters and what we do individually matters. Irena's story teaches us that no matter where we are, or what our circumstances, we can be the means of safety, comfort and rescue for those in need. Don't let fear or apathy stand in our way of being able to make a difference in this world. Albert Einstein said that "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." And, thankfully, there are many Irenas among us who feel the same way.