Mankind Uplifted by Acts of Heroism

As I read your recent stories about Rep. Gary Condit (D-Ceres) my hopes for mankind plummeted. He is one of our leaders. Yet he lied and cheated not only the public but also his own family. He put no one and nothing ahead of his desires and political ambitions. But then I read of Salvador Uribe (“Recalling a Life of Honor and Strength,” Aug. 24), the cattle boss at Rancho Mission Viejo who, even though he could not swim, plunged into a pond to save his nephew and, in doing so, drowned. I read of Norma Galindo (“So Close, Yet So Painfully Far Away,” Aug. 25), who shielded her small children from roaring flames with her body and handed them out a fourth-story window to firemen and safety, but fell to her death before she too could be rescued. I read of Bob McMaster and Tony Cardona, the firemen who, far above the call of duty, climbed to the very tops of their ladders to rescue the children.

They, and others unsung who daily put others first, are our very best and our true leaders--and my hopes for mankind are revived. They are my heroes, and I honor them for their selfless courage.

Shirley Casper

Garden Grove