Hail to the Heroes

It's easy to spot a hero because we all can exhibit that quality at any time but seldom does anyone exercise that talent. Steven Zernhelt did and to those of us who take notice of such things, his actions shall not go unnoticed. He heard a cry for help and he answered that call, some may have just pretended that the phone was not ringing. His death offers us an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to one another and try our best to live up to the example that he has set.

"A 53-year-old man who rushed over to help when he heard screaming at his next-door neighbor's house was stabbed to death as he got through the front door, and police found his body with three others, according to the victim's brother." "David Zernhelt, 36, of Allentown, identified his older brother, Steven Zernhelt, a married father of three, as one of the victims of Saturday's rampage in Northampton borough." "Zernhelt said Sunday that his brother heard screams from his neighbor's house, ran over to help and was attacked." "He got through the front door, and the suspect stabbed him to death," Zernhelt said." "I'll say this about my brother: He died a hero to me because he was trying to go over there and do whatever he could to help. I love him, I always will," he said." "Police found the bodies of three men and a woman, each stabbed multiple times, in the brick twin house about 70 miles north of Philadelphia, according to Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli. State police have a suspect in custody but have not released his name or the names of the dead. Authorities planned to release details Sunday afternoon." "Morganelli confirmed one of the victims was a neighbor who "went over to help and became a victim." "Steven Zernhelt, who hailed from a family of 10 children, worked as a heating and air conditioning instructor. He and his wife had three grown children." "Growing up, he always tried to resolve situations," his younger brother said. "He was the political family member of the brothers and sisters, who would always try to get everybody to get along with each other. So it wasn't surprising that he would try to help his neighbor like that." (Rubinkam, Michael; 6/27/2010, Associated Press, Brother: Pa. man 'died a hero' in stabbing rampage, Retrieved from www.news@yahoo.com).

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends and my wish is that some of the courage that he had rubs off on the rest of us. There is nothing nobler than giving of yourself for the sake of another and seeking only the reward of self-gratification without the hint or promise of anything more. True heroes are born everyday.