Chris Tschid: An Ancient Greek Hero

Ancient Era To be considered heroic, Ancient Greek heroes had to complete a quest of sorts. For example, Hercules had to finish several tasks to redeem himself after murdering his family. He goes to an oracle to ask what he must do, and she replies, “He must return to his ancestral home in Argos and there serve his young uncle Eurystheus, performing whatever twelve labors this hated king would assign him.” This was to humble Hercules, since Eurystheus had taken the throne of Argos for himself. Also, after going to the palace to do his assigned labors, the text states, “The ruler of Argos then determined to assign his nephew the most dangerous tasks he could think of…” this sets up the beginning of the Hercules’ trials and work under the man

Take the case of Chris Tschida, he administered first aid to his soldiers with only one hand and a shattered jaw while being attacked by an enemy. In the article, “Chris Tschida, Medal of Honor candidate,” Jeff Bacon explained that a grenade had begun the trouble, “...the grenade exploded and amputated Sgt. Tscihda’s left hand. Moments later the second grenade exploded inside the tank, severely wounding Sgt. Tschida and two of the other crew members. “ From the start, Tschida was struggling to keep his team and himself intact. It was up to him to make sure that anyone who was alive stayed alive, were out of the tank, and were taken care of. Jeff Bacon stated, “Knowing he and his fellow soldiers were not safe inside the tank, Sgt. Tschida pulled himself out of the hatch… Once both soldiers were safely out of the tank, Sgt. Tschida began administering first aid…” In the middle of a battle, Tschida was brave enough to attempt and save two of his men, when he could have easily assumed they were dead and leave them in the tank to die. Despite his role in the tank, Tschida went above and beyond, showcasing heroic qualities of compassion and leadership and was able to save two men in the process. To top it all off, Tschida was not rewarded for his actions and, as Jeff Bacon said, “has not received recognition or accolades for his heroism and steadfast leadership on May 15, 2005” and initially only told part of his story in a three sentence