Heroes do not always wear uniforms

On September 12, 2009, Dominik Brunner, A 50-year-old- manager from Munich intervened as a 17 and 18-year-old were attempting to extort money from four 13 to 15-year-olds, punching one of the youths in the face. Mr. Brunner paid for this act of civil courage with his life, the two beating him into unconsciousness as he lay on the ground. The injuries were so severe that Mr. Brunner died a short while later in a local hospital. A number of people ingored the cries of help from the youths and simply walked by as these tragic events transpired.

As the trial of these two begins, we need to remember that heroes come in all forms and do not always wear uniforms. To me, it takes even more courage to stand up alone to defend someone weaker than to do it as part of an organized group where you are simply doing your job, particularly if you are outnumbered. Mr. Brunner's selfless act should be a lesson to all of us. In regards to this event, one headline read "Those who look away help the perpetrator" and I think we should all take this message to heart. If more people were willing to stand up and acts like this became the expected behavior, criminals would think twice before trying to pray on the weak.