Heroes

As a young boy I desperately wanted a hero; someone to model as a representation of everything a man should be. My father was a particularly a hard worker, but his propensity for violence and abusive behavior made it hard to characterize him as an heroic character. Deciding that principle was a crucial element for any hero, I surveyed my small world and settled on athletes; specifically Mickey Mantle.

As many of you know the Mick, other than in his ability to hit a baseball, certainly lacked the principles you’d want your son to emulate. As I became aware of the failings of athletes, and having moved into a period of alcohol and drug use myself, I decided to use athletes as anti-heroes, and I did so for several years. However the whole anti-hero worship thing was unfulfilling, and my desire for someone to emulate persisted. I needed to make some decisions about characteristics I valued and to which I aspired. While there are many men and women I deeply respect, I found two that stood out.

Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, is best known for his books 1984 and Animal Farm. He was raised in a home not of high privilege, but by his own definition lower, upper middle-class. He lived a comfortable lifestyle, never worried about his next meal. He was a democratic socialist unafraid to focus the light of self-examination on his own beliefs, as represented in the following quote:

As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.
George Orwell

He openly mocked and ridiculed countries like the Soviet Union that bastardized Socialism, turning it into a totalitarian communistic form of government. His allegiance was to principle, not to expediency. Though it made him persona non grata in many circles, he was not willing to sacrifice his beliefs to gain acceptance.

Although he was an English citizen he traveled to Spain during their civil war in 1936, telling authorities, “I’ve come to fight Fascism.” Comfortable in England, he could have stayed that way, but his principles demanded he stand up against totalitarianism. With help from Italy, Nazi Germany and American corporations such as Texaco, General Motors, Ford Motors, and The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Gen. Francisco Franco and his Nationalists prevailed and Orwell was forced to flee the country.

I hold no romantic notions for warfare, but for a man living comfortably in England and with no nationalistic investment in the outcome to abandon his circumstance to go fight for a principle strikes me as clearly heroic. I wish I could say I’ve replicated this commitment to principle, however that would be less than truthful. I do hope that I emulate Orwell’s sense of social justice, and that when friends describe me that would be one of the first characteristics on their list. George Orwell is one of my heroes.

My other hero holds that distinction for almost the opposite reason. Almost.

Maj. Gen. Smedley Darlington Butler, USMC, a.k.a. “The Fighting Quaker” and “Old Gimlet Eye”, served for 34 years and received 16 medals, and the Congressional Medal of Honor. Twice. Smedley Butler was no goldbrick; he was a Marine’s Marine. He dedicated his life to service of his country but was forced to reconsider the value of his life’s purpose.

Beloved by his men, Butler led a 1932 march on Washington, DC by WWI veterans who had been promised a bonus for their service, not payable until 1945. The march was to request early payment of these monies to veterans struggling during the Depression. Recognizing the loyalty he inspired among his men, Butler was approached by a right-wing faction in the United States, asking him to organize these veterans and lead them in a coup against FDR. Ever the patriot, Butler refused their money and reported the conspirators to the President. But that’s not what makes him a hero to me.

Here was a man who’d dedicated 34 years of his life to a cause, but when he was done he was left with more questions than answers. He knew the ostensible reasons for his service, but it did not square with the facts he’d seen on the ground. His retrospection on matters made it clear that the wars he fought had nothing to do with the safety or freedom of Americans, and everything to do with advancing corporate interests. Once he realized this fact he could not sit and do nothing, so he became an antiwar activist, giving speeches and writing columns and books about the lies he had seen. His book War is a Racket is a classic.

He even went so far as to write the following in the magazine Common Sense:

I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class thug for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902–1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.[12]

Smedley Butler is my hero for two reasons. First, he was willing to take a long, hard and honest look at how he had spent his life. This is something few people have the courage to do, but after doing that he felt compelled to make amends for his actions. While I’ve made amends for some things I’ve done I don’t know if I’d ever have the courage to discredit 34 years of my life. That’s why Smedley Butler is my hero.

I believe we all need heroes, and I hope today I am picking mine more wisely than I did as a child.