Musings on Heroics

Rough Men, Some Heroic, Some Not So Much

In all the discussions of the incident in which Daniel Penny stepped up and stepped in to defend his fellow subway riders, I’m surprised that I saw, even from those who praised Penny for his selflessness and heroism, no invocation of a famous and most appropriate quote.

Actually, “quote” is a misnomer in this case, because, although there are several variations of the adage in circulation, and although it’s generally attributed to either Winston Churchill or George Orwell, neither of them actually said it, and it’s more likely to trace its origins to similarly-themed remarks by Rudyard Kipling.

I’m speaking of the “reminder” that “We sleep soundly in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.”

Kipling, in his 1890 poem “Tommy,” tells of publicans (tavern proprietors) who refuse to serve soldiers in uniform, effectively “making mock of uniforms that guard you while you sleep.” The name “Tommy,” by the way, references “Tommy Atkins,” which was a slang name for the prototypical British soldier.

Whatever its provenance, the adage is indisputably true, even if its truth is insufficiently acknowledged by far too many.

And Thank God! for those “rough men” and their readiness, whether in uniform and on foreign soil (like Daniel Penny, whose service in the USMC took him to Spain, Greece, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Japan), or as civilians in the homeland, just minding their own business (as Daniel Penny was that day on the NYC subway) until their consciences compelled them to step into the fray in defense of complete strangers who were also their fellow citizens.

So if no one else is going to invoke that adage with regard to this (or any other, similar) incident, let me do so, for those who may need reminding. And while doing so, let me point out that “rough men” is a figure of speech, and can include those women who also stand ready.

[The terms “rough” and “ready” have been associated before. These Hanna-Barbera characters’ names were likely inspired by Zachary Taylor, the 12th POTUS, who during his military career had acquired the nickname “Old Rough and Ready.”]

In my last post here, I told of a time when I stepped up and stepped in, even though the situation was none of my business. I’ve since remembered several other similar incidents. I’m not trying to equate myself to Daniel Penny’s heroism, which is why I won’t relate my own incidents in detail.

But I do remember in particular another time when I was an unlikely hero. It was when four guys in a boat pulled up on the nude beach I used to frequent on the Columbia River outside Portland, OR.

It was a highly-civilized, family-friendly beach. If “family-friendly nude beach” strikes you as a non-sequitur, I assure you that everyone there was quite polite and well-mannered. But these were four coarse, boorish individuals; they were certainly “rough men” but there was nothing remotely heroic about them; they were Neanderthals.

They were crudely harassing some young women on the beach, and somebody needed to step in, and it was me. And I restored order and had them beating a hasty retreat, even though, when I confronted them and told them that their behavior was unacceptable and would not be tolerated, I was wearing absolutely nothing but a hat!

And that prompted their leader to challenge me with “Whatchu gonna do about it, Naked Guy?” And his friends found that hilarious, but not for long.

Someday I’ll furnish the details; it’s one of my favorite stories, and I think it’d make a really good scene in a movie. Or a commercial for that particular type of hat.

Oh, and my musings about heroes who disregard their personal safety to step up and save the day for others just wouldn't be complete without this.

ST