You are not a hero.

I'm sure this will probably ruffle the feathers of some of you but I, for one, and pretty darn sick and tired of how recklessly the word "hero" is being tossed around these days, especially in regards to folks in the military and law enforcement.

You see, in order to actually become a hero, you have to do something heroic.  That part should be common sense.  Throwing yourself on a grenade to save a platoon is heroic.  Exposing yourself to enemy fire to save the life of another soldier is heroic.  Simply being in the military, while appreciated, is not an act of heroism... especially if you served your country by lounging around a military base in some tropical paradise like Hawaii.  Saving your commanding officer from a falling coconut is not an act of heroism.

The same applies to law enforcement.  Rushing into a burning building to save a life is heroic.  Saving a hostage from an armed madman is heroic.  Writing traffic tickets and rescuing cats from trees?  Not so much.

Folks, giving the label of "hero" to people who are just doing their job demeans the truly heroic actions of our true American heroes- just the same way giving a trophy to everyone who enters a race demeans the accomplishments of the person who actually won the race.

If just doing your job makes you a hero, then by that standard we are all heroes.  And if my most recent excursion to Walmart has taught me anything, it's that the high school dropout with a faceful of tattoos and piercings who wrangles shopping carts for minimum wage doesn't have a whole hell of a lot in common with General MacArthur or that creepy-looking guy who landed that jet in the Hudson River a few years back.  The teenage mom who works as a cashier doesn't have very much in common with Ulysses S. Grant (with the possible exception of facial hair), and the produce manager didn't remind me very much of Victoria Soto, the heroic teacher who sacrificed her life saving the lives of children in Sandy Hook.

And that's what really matters.  Sacrifice.  Without sacrifice, there can be no heroism.  If you ask me, we'd be a lot better off if we stopped bestowing the title of hero to regular people who have made no real sacrifice and who have not died for a cause, or even came close to dying for a cause.  To do so detracts from the true acts of heroism that take place every day all over the world, from Connecticut to Afghanistan.