A week ago was the 6th year anniversary of September 11th.’ I could feel the stunned shock when I woke up that morning, all the suppressed memories channeling again through my mind. I can still remember the horror of that day, like it was yesterday. Debris and bodies falling from the sky, people covered by dust, their own blood, and the blood of others. You could sense the fear, the confusion, and the helplessness of the situation. Here I was six years later, in a research lab reading the New York Times website. A headline, on one of the pages, called the firefighters who died in the line of duty, ‘heroes’.’ At the time, I didn’t think twice about the headline, until a fellow researcher near me said that we overuse the word hero. She remarked, ‘Firefighters are considered brave, but they are just doing their job. It’s what they set out to do. Why should one be considered a hero if that is their profession?’ Other individuals in the lab also heard this commentary. This resulted in an uproar over the usage of the word. The lady who started the whole discussion remarked that we should use the term sparingly. So what does it mean to be a hero?

Below is my own response to the question along with the response of two other Statesman writers.’ If you have an opinion on the usage of the word ‘heroes,’ send an e-mail to [email protected].