Over the Christmas holiday there was a terrible fire in an old house in Stamford, Conn that claimed the lives of 3 children and their two grandparents. The children’s mother barely escaped. Obviously this is an unspeakable tragedy, but as the fire department is uncovering what happened, it has come to light that the 71 year old grandfather died trying to rescue one of his grandchildren and in fact died merely inches from the child. From what firefighters can tell the grandfather was either going through a window to get the child or was trying to get the child out through it. 

While many (or most) of us will die in our sleep or in a hospital or in some other benign manner, this gentleman died with honor – a hero’s death. From the sounds of it he could easily have escaped the inferno, but he chose to try and save one of his grandchildren. None of us know how we will react when we are faced with a terrifying situation, but this 71 year old man proved to be exactly that – a man, one willing to give his life for another. 

The news media fills our screens and minds with tales of murders and kidnappings and other terrible crimes but rarely do we hear about something good and noble such as a person giving their life to save another. This fire is an unspeakable tragedy, one that the mother will likely never recover from, but out of it came the opportunity for 1 man to die honorably. It is a solemn reminder that there are good people in the world willing to stand up and be counted with it matters most. 

God Speed to such a man of honor.