Unsung Heroes
Here at Chasing Heroes, we’ve agreed to occasionally blog about the unsung heroes who affect our lives. The heroes I’ve chosen are the individuals who work for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. These heroes are rarely recognized or acknowledged despite the advantage they give us on the battleground of weather.
As I write this, Northern California is bracing for another torrential rain storm. NOAA is forecasting heavy rains, avalanche warnings in the mountains, and possible flooding in low lying areas if the storm stalls on the coast. They hope the high winds we’ll experience will push the storm through quickly.
I never considered weathermen heroes until now, and I’m not talking about the ones who appear on television in fashionably sensible attire. Many of them are not Meteorologists, but just good looking bodies thrown into the job. I believe it’s the people working behind the scenes that are the true heroes.
Out of curiosity, I went to NOAA’s website. They do a lot more than just forecast weather. They study our oceans, the coastlines, and anything and everything that creates and affects the earth. These men and women make great sacrifices, putting themselves in the path of storms to measure the winds, collect air particulates and try to calculate temperamental conditions of unpredictable weather. Often they live right in the middle of unbelievably harsh conditions, just so the public will know whether to bring a jacket when they leave the house in the morning.
NOAA’s information gives us the ability to plan a day at the beach or go for a pleasant hike in the mountains. In the Midwest, NOAA scientists diligently watch for the perfect atmospheric conditions where tornadoes spawn. On the east coast, the public relies on their cautions about intense cold or a nor-easterly about to bounce on a city. Warning about the intensity of hurricane winds come directly from them. They can warn those in the path of a monster storm days in advance. And they are the individuals who had to sit and watch helplessly as Katrina crashed into New Orleans.
The scientists making their predictions aren’t sitting in warm offices staring at a radar screen or sipping coffee as they down a donut. They are the two people in a mountaintop lab in the Sierra Nevada. The working quarters are small and cramped with equipment. There is no make-up artist or hair people to make them look sharp when reporters show up for the interview. Their every day uniform is thick arctic clothing, which they often sleep in. Flown in by helicopter, they have left behind their families and the comfort of their homes to compile data, so we might be able to protect our families in certain situations.
The two scientists aren’t tall, dark or handsome. They look like the scientists in our imagination, with wire rimmed glasses and speech filled with the foreign language of their work. They look nothing like the heroes of television, movies, or books, but they are real heroes who give their all so we can be updated about the seven day forecast. They are like fortunetellers predicting both catastrophe and a sunny future. I’ve developed a new appreciation for these folks who are true heroes, who make selfless sacrifice for the greater good.
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Who is your unsung hero?
March 7th, 2008
Lee 
in
Lee's Columns |
Everyone loves a good hero, but what do readers, agents, editors, and writers love most? Join us as we delve under the covers and find out!
March 7th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Interesting post, Lee. I think there are so many unsung heroes in the sense that so many people work behind the scenes and/or with little or no acknowledgment, all for our safety, well-being, and continued prosperity. The obvious are: police, fireman, military, lawmakers/government (the honorable ones who have ideals they pursue), doctors, nurses, and other health care workers.
The thing about unsung heroes beyond the obvious is that often we don’t know they’re there! These are the ones that would make really interesting book heroes because their jobs would be so different or unkown to us. Think about that movie Twister with Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton (was that the actor?). Tornado hunters (along the lines of your unsung hero, Lee).
What other movies and book can anyone think of that have heroes with unusual callings. This is really getting me thinking!
March 7th, 2008 at 11:16 am
When I decided to write about the ‘unsung’ hero, I did consider nurses first. I have two sister who are nurses and I can tell you they don’t get paid enough for what they do! Often they’re smarter then many doctors. When my mother was dying, the nurses were fabulous to my family. They gave us support and love, and they attended her funeral.
I can’t think of any other books or movies about unusual jobs like a meterologist, other then Twister. And Bill Paxton was the actor.
I hope someone can spring my memory. I’ve seen a few really bad made for TV, movies about mega storms and what have you, but nothing else that comes to mind. They do make a unusual and interesting hero.
March 7th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I believe nurses are unsung heroes. They don’t get paid enough, they are there at the push of a call button, clean patients, and care for them for the love of the job.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I can’t say enough good things about nurses…Its a job I could never do myself. I admire those who do follow the call, like my oldest Grandson, who is in a Nursing program in college.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Can a male nurse be a compelling hero in a book, do you think? I wonder only because it’s such a gender oriented term and I think many people have a hard time getting past that term. Does the term nurse dispell the sexy image a hero might have?
March 7th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Well, I had no freakin’ idea we were going to get pummeled again. I guess I need to get my nose out of my laptop.
Misa, as to the male nurse question? If you can sell it, I’d buy it.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Misa, as to the male nurse question? If you can sell it, I’d buy it.
Good to know, Karin. My wheels are turning…
March 7th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Just as females in law enforcement are stereotyped, so are male nurses. It seems implied that they aren’t smart enough to be doctors, so they settled on being nurses. Ughhhh!
But hey, a male nurse is strong but tender. I’ll buy it.
March 8th, 2008 at 5:12 am
I think teachers are unsung heroes. They can really make such a difference in our children’s lives. Anyone willing to put forth extra effort to help someone is rare, which is sad if you think about it.
I’d definitely buy any book Misa wrote, even one with a male nurse, because I know it would be good. I have to be honest though, the idea of a male nurse isn’t attractive to me, except maybe a pediatric one. Completely ludicrous, but there it is.
March 8th, 2008 at 9:59 am
I love the comments on male nurses. My grandson is gently, kind, big, and immensely smart. I think. I asked him about going to medical school. He said he’d rather be in the trenches as a nurse. Right now he doesn’t have a desire to become a doctor. I know he’ll make a wonderful nurse. He has a aura about him that just makes you feel so calm. He’s in a four year program that is very intense. He says he has no life right now, school is everything. Male nurses are a romantic image, but my mom had two when she was in the hospital, that were wonderful, funny and yes, one was very handsome.
April 6th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
no matter how terrible people act, we don’t have a right to judge them. We are just to express our minds, and don’t have to pay attention what other people look like, what’s their real face. It doesn’t matter for me, if someone will say anything about me, I know what I really deserve, and what kind of person I really am.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
acgzzrnr…
acgzzrnr…