What distinguishes America? Not only can our leaders come from anywhere within our society (Rice, Powell, Bush, Clinton, etc) so do our heroes. In fact, our heroes are more likely to come from the core of America – the average citizen.

Here is a story of one such American. An extraordinary person who reflects well on all mankind for drive and sacrifice.

ON THE day he was murdered by a coven of cowards, the flag that Sgt. Chris Engeldrum had carried from the firehouse of Ladder 61 flapped over Baghdad. But at 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 29, 2004, there may have been an immaculate exception and the flag shed a tear.
That flag, that beautiful flag, was yesterday like the Holy Grail in a particularly emotional ceremony — a “two handkerchief job,” we hacks would call it — at the Fire Academy. Probie Jayson Bresler, who served with Engeldrum in Iraq, took the podium in front of 252 probies — including 25 Iraqi war veterans — to present the glorious banner to Lt. Mike Bonner of Ladder 61 in The Bronx, where Chris Engeldrum had distinguished himself as a hero long before Baghdad beckoned.

“Chris Engeldrum took an American flag from Ladder 61, took it to Ground Zero, took it to Djibouti, and then took it to Baghdad, and there that flag from Ladder 61 flew over the skies of Baghdad,” Bresler said.