Heroes are something we often overlook on an everyday basis. We know there are people in the world that achieve and do amazing things. They give up something, sometimes their life, in order to help, save and/or protect. We call them heroes because they do things that we think we cannot. This column is for those people who put others needs in front of their own.

Exploring different heroes really sheds some light on what can define courage and bravery. One can be a hero in so many ways …

Certainly a day that stands out in regards to heroes is Sept. 11. Of all the victims, it is known that on United Airlines Flight 93 some of those who lost their lives potentially saved so many more. The passengers on that plane took down the hijackers and plane in order to keep the Boeing 757 from crashing into another monument or building that could kill hundreds, if not thousands.

According to CNN, Todd Beamer and Tom Burnett were two of those passengers. Beamer phoned the FBI and at the end of the conversations the FBI operator heard him say, “Let’s roll.” Burnett called his wife and told her that they were going to take action. Their actions saved lives, and theirs were lost.

More recently we’ve lost a hero that was unique in many ways, but most unique in the way he was a hero. On Feb. 27 Fred Rogers — or as our generation lovingly calls him, “Mister Rogers” — died of stomach cancer that was diagnosed just last December.

Mister Rogers is someone we all grew up watching. David Newell, a Rogers family spokesman, told The Associated Press that, “He was so genuinely, genuinely kind, a wonderful person.”

Of course, we don’t need Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on the show (hint: Mister Rogers’ full name is Fred McFeely Rogers) to tell us that this man was wonderful. On his show, Mister Rogers provided a certain warmth that I’ve never seen in anyone I have ever met and he did this through a television. He would have been the best real neighbor. This world is a little darker without him and his red sweater.

To me, Mister Rogers is a hero because he unselfishly devoted himself to other people’s happiness. His giving nature made him a unique man, showing the nation that kindness really can go a long way.

Francis C. Flaherty is a more tangible hero than Mister Rogers. His life is just one of many lost in the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941. Ensign Flaherty was onboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma when it began to capsize. Instead of abandoning ship, Ensign Flaherty held a flashlight up so the rest of the crew could see to get off the ship. He went down with it. He was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for his courage and unselfish act.

Ensign Flaherty was a hero due to his bravery, but in a way, all soldiers are heroes. While I currently do not support military action in Iraq, I do support the men and women who are over there. They are patriots willing to fight for what they believe in — or at least what they theoretically believe in. But they are fighting for us, to protect us from whatever action Saddam Hussein may take to hurt us. Although I believe the intent of a strike against the Iraqi regime is misguided, what the soldiers are doing is most certainly admirable.

Despite the great things the four men outlined here have done — note that I am not claiming women cannot be heroes as well — the reason I started thinking about what defines a hero is on a much smaller scale. A few weeks ago, I had a friend that I haven’t spent much with lately become my hero, at least for that weekend. Despite our somewhat estranged relationship, he knew when I needed him most. He selflessly provided support for me when he didn’t have to, but it was exactly what I needed.

Everyone can be a hero. It can be for great services done for the betterment of the nation as soldiers do, or it can be a friend that just knows how to help you. In fact, you can be your own hero. When you take the cluttered path, the one that at the moment may seem the toughest, you possibly save yourself a great deal of pain. By protecting yourself, you are your own hero. (Sorry if that notion seems a little corny.)

Depending on how the word is interpreted, hero means a plethora of things, from fallen soldiers to a genuinely nice man to just some Joe Schmoe that you’ve known for years. And honestly, I believe that somewhere deep inside, we all have what it takes to be someone’s savior.

Ayrel Clark is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Johnston. She is the opinion editor at the Daily.