"I am a firm believer that all of us, children and adults alike, need heroes in order to call the best from us. The problem today is that so many of the heroes presented to youth are so questionable in what they invite people to emulate.... It would be refreshing to have someone like yourself talk to students at Loyola... about a different kind of heroism, one that necessarily bucks "peer pressure" when higher values are to be followed and when one's conscience is to be listened to... I am convinced that people are capable of great heroism, but they must first hear from people who have fought to the place of being considered heroic. I do not want all this talk of "hero" to frighten you away, Mr. Thompson. It is just a code word for what you did, which was essentially loving your neighbor in a profound way under difficult circumstances."
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Michael Hugo, instructor at Loyala Academy in Wilmette, Illinois in 1998, in a letter sent to Thompson following the awarding of the Soldier's Medal to Thompson, Glenn Andreotta, and Lawrence Colburn in 1998 for their actions at My Lai in 1968. As quoted by Trent Angers, The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story (1999), Lafayette: Acadian House Publishing, p. 202
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson%2C_Jr.
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Hugh Thompson, Jr.
Hugh C. Thompson, Jr. (April 15, 1943 – January 6, 2006) was a US Army helicopter pilot who rescued Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam war and campaigned to bring those responsible to justice. After receiving the prestigious Soldier's Medal he became a popular speaker on military ethics.
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