A TRIBUTE n our introduction we challenge you to name 50 important American heroes If you actually try to do it we think you will name some people we probably wouldn't even know But you know them and they are heroes to you And that s VERY important All of us have personal heroes They are the people in our own lives who have helped to shape our personalities and define who we are Often we don't even realize how important and special they are Most likely the closest members of your family are personal heroes Think about how much they have helped you Sure we guess there are times you have disagreed with their advice or actions but most likely they have been there for you when you needed them How about teachers Religious leaders Doctors Coaches Club leaders Your friends parents Even your brothers and sisters yes they can be your personal heroes too Do you ever say thanks to your personal heroes Telling someone he or she i your personal hero is different from saying I love you That s important to do too but also letting your personal heroes know they are YOUR HEROES is a powerful way of thanking them There are many other heroes in the United States Sometimes we refer to these people as unsung heroes They are the firefighters who rush into burning buildings to save lives They are the police officers who risk their lives to keep us safe They are the people who serve in our armed forces to keep this nation free It took the horror of September 11 2001 9 11 to remind us of just how special unsung heroes are Many brave men and women sacrificed to help others But that's what heroes do whether they are personal or unsung or famous heroes They give of themselves to make this world a better place The 9 11 tragedy made Americans think about the importance of heroes We want you to think about the importance of the heroes in YOUR life and we hope you'll take some action to let them know how special they are to
INTRODUCTION ow quickly can you name 50 American heroes They can women young or old from the past or present living or dead but they all must have made an exceptional positive contribution to our world How'd you do Were you able to come up with 50 names Who's on your list Chances are a few names popped right up George Washington Abraham Lincoln Martin Luther King Jr After all they have their own national holidays Then maybe you mentioned people you are studying in school such as Thomas Jefferson Eleanor Roosevelt or Harriet Tubman After that perhaps you listed a few important people in the news Bill Gates Jimmy Carter even Oprah Winfrey But you still didn't have 50 names so you moved on to sports stars rock singers and other celebrities who may or may not deserve to be called heroes Maybe you even filled out your list with imaginary heroes such as your favorite TV or movie characters Coming up with a list of 50 wasn't easy was it We didn't think so either and that s why we wrote this book Every kid needs great men and women to admire and imitate but how can you look up to them if you don't know who they are Among our heroes are architects and aviators activists and scientists entrepreneurs and advocates They are teachers musicians inventors and athletes Some are well known Others deserve to be Some of our heroes lived long ago Others continue to enrich our world today Our heroes share admirable qualities exceptional talent fierce determination and indomitable spirit They are courageous and confident and possess an unwavering commitment to being the best they can be And every one is a citizen of the United States Can only an American be a hero Of course not But America is like no other place in the world Here heroes can be rich or poor male or female young or old and of any race religion or national origin under the sun The opportunities open to us are almost endless We re free to follow any dream that enters our heads and we have every right to expect fair treatment from others as we do so It s as simple as that So what do these 50 American heroes have to do with you Everything They might be what you want to be when you grow up Although their shoes may seem impossible to fill you ll find that many of our heroes were a lot like you when they were young They had families homes classmates part time jobs Many had doubts about their own abilities to make a difference in this
Read about them Hear their stories We ve given you a few good books to get you started on finding out more about each of our heroes Heroes usually seem larger than life They are so great as to seem almost unreal to us But all of them a people Reading their biographies can help you learn more about their childhoods their friends and families their hobbies and all the other things that make them just like you Because they are real people these heroes are not perfect Sometimes they made mistakes like everyone does Some of our greatest heroes our country s founders made a terrible mistake by owning slaves While we wish our heroes always did everything perfectly that s just not how it is with real people To add a little action to your search for heroes we've included a number of activities in this book We give you lots of places museums foundations national parks to contact Website addresses are listed or you can just search online and check out the always growing list of links to your favorite heroes You ll have a great time exploring new ideas and you won t be alone As you explore this book you'll see that we have made it possible for you to interact with us the authors Are our heroes the only ones you need to know about No way We can name hundreds more men and women who have done great things In fact we want to find more heroes using our Hero Hunt On page 110 we give you clues about men and women similar to the featured heroes It s up to you to solve the mysteries of who they are The answers are listed on page 118 but please NO PEEKING until you have done some digging If you believe that some of your heroes should have made our list of 50 we would like to hear from you Perhaps you know of an accomplished ballet dancer a brilliant scientist or a courageous humanitarian that were not on our roster of heroes Or maybe you admire your grandfather your teacher or even an exceptional member of your church synagogue mosque or other house of worship Contact us and tell us why you hold him or her in such high regard Better yet tell your friends who your heroes are The people you look up to can change other kids lives too If you're willing to spread the word Here's our website www heroes4us com It's time for real heroes
