“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.” — George S. Patton. Truer words were never spoken. We should all thank God for the blessing he gave us in Nicholas Madaras.

“The hero is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men.” — Henry David Thoreau.

When I was in middle school I was presented with an opportunity to play basketball with one of my heroes. Sadly, I did not realize it at the time. Heroes, after all, are supposed to star in movies or play in Super Bowls. But the greatest heroes of all do not wear jerseys or shoulder-pads; they don camouflage and firesuits. Tragically enough, it takes events like September 11th to remind us of this, which is why our nation’s flags flew at half mast yesterday.

In Connecticut, however, Old Glory was lowered a few weeks early this year. This is because we lost three of our finest to the Iraqi war-zone. One of these heroes was Private First Class Nicholas Madaras, who, years before, had been my teammate on the worst basketball squad in the Wilton Rec league.

Nick, a truck driver in the 4th Infantry Division, was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bagubah last Sunday, perishing a month before his twentieth birthday. It is a tragedy like no other. But, perhaps, we can take solace in the fact that Nick, in 19 short years, touched more lives and helped more people than any of us will in our lifetime.

Madaras was only 14-years-old when 19 terrorists turned four commercial airplanes into three cruise missiles, butchering thousands of civilians. These thugs showed the world the worst that humanity had to offer. And our country responded with our best, as New York’s Bravest and Finest proved to the world that their nicknames are most deserved.

Out of Ground Zero emerged the most unfathomable acts of selflessness and sacrifice. The attacks introduced the world to men like Father Mychal Judge, who spent his final moments administering Last Rites to Al-Qaeda’s victims. The world stood in awe as hundreds of firemen and police officers, like Fr. Judge, rushed into certain death and, without so much as blinking, surrendered their lives so that complete strangers could safely escape the ruins.

In the following months, “Amazing Grace” was squeezed out of far too many bagpipes; 21 gun salutes thundered from far too many rifles; and we buried far too many mothers, brothers, fathers and friends. But our spirit was never broken.

Our enemies must have trembled when they saw the American flag standing tall above the chaos of the rubble. The firemen responsible, George Johnson (Ladder 157), Dan McWilliams (L 157) and Billy Eisengrein (Rescue 2), sent a clear message to the murderers overseas … and they didn’t even notice the photographer snapping photos.

“Let’s Roll!” became a symbol of the national will to persevere. Todd Beamer and the passengers of United 93 became the first battlefield casualties in the War on Terror. They took a stand against terror, preventing the hijackers from taking more lives. These brave souls were the first to defend this nation, but not the last; and it is our duty to remember these men as well.

Michael Reilly, like PFC Madaras, lived to serve others. A former marine, Reilly returned home from his tour of duty in Iraq and joined the FDNY. He survived the struggle against the Iraqi insurgency, only to lose his life fighting a fire in the Bronx several weeks ago. It is not their ability to fight, but their dedication to serving others that makes all these heroes so special.

Islamofascist terrorists, clad in civilian clothes and brandishing box cutters, thought they could break our spirit. Their victims were innocent civilians sporting briefcases and business suits. Our heroes were caked in thick layers of poisonous dust and ash amidst the ruins; but for some reason, the gold on their helmets, badges and fire-jackets shone brighter than ever that day.

These warriors gave way to the heroes of today, who step into camouflage each morning to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Everyone says that they will forever remember the sacrifices people made that day. But we cannot lose sight of the heroism exhibited by our soldiers on a daily basis. They continue to make sacrifices so that we may live free. On this grim anniversary especially, we should also acknowledge their selflessness.

Nick Madaras laid down his life for his country. He died defending the very flag that we lowered in solemn remembrance yesterday. But above all else, PFC Madaras sacrificed his life for you and me. And for that, we are forever indebted to Nicholas Madaras, who felt it was his duty to serve his country; it is now our duty to Nick to live up to that “we will never forget” bumper sticker we all put on our cars after 9/11.

So, when you weep for the widows of 9/11, weep also for the families of our fallen soldiers.

When you mourn the fallen rescue workers who came to the aid of Ground Zero’s victims, grieve for those who fell answering the call of our nation as well.

When you pay your respects to heroes like Todd Beamer and Father Mychal Judge, remember to honor the memory of warriors like PFC Nicholas Madaras and Michael Reilly.

And most importantly, pray — pray for the safe return of our boys overseas; pray just as hard as you did that fateful September morning when you hoped beyond all hope that the people on those Missing Posters would return home to their loved ones.

Billy McMorris is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at wjm27@cornell.edu. John Manetta Once Told Me appears Tuesdays.