Harold Schapelhouman

A Hidden Hero... A hero is defined in the dictionary as a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. The hero I choose possesses all of the qualities and more. I look up to others who risk everything even though it may harm them. This man risked everything he had, his life. Though this name is not as well-known as George Washington or Rosa Parks, he is just as great, Mr. Harold Schapelhouman.

Harold Schapelhouman was born and raised in Canada. He moved to United States in 1963. His heritage is Dutch. Harold became a U.S. citizen 1976. When he was growing up he always wanted to be a forest ranger but he took a fire service class in college and stuck with that. His inspiration in life was his dad, a concentration camp survivor. He and his family have a long line of heroic and determined people.

One of the biggest accomplishments of Schapelhouman was becoming a fireman. In 2006 he became the head Deputy Chief in California. He specifically specialized in Search and Rescue and special operations. In 2001 he got the call to tell him we were being attacked by terrorists and the World Trade Center. Schapelhouman and his team were one of the first to respond to the scene after the collapse. Not only has he done search and rescue in World Trade Center Collapse but also the Oklahoma City Bombing, Columbia Space Shuttle crash, and Hurricane Katrina.

On September 11, 2001 he flew from California to the World Trade Center to try and find survivors of the tower collapse. Although Schapelhouman did not find any survivors he was proud to bring closure and the remains to the families of the men and women lost. Without Harold the families could not bury their dead. While he was searching for any possible survivors he was breathing in chemicals from the collapse. Now he is fighting a respiratory disease but it is a small cost for bringing comfort to their families. More importantly he inspires. He inspires those around the world to do good for the community even at a risk. When those he inspires become more like him and if more people are like him the world becomes a better place. Schapelhouman is an inspiration to me because he risked his life to save others.

Schapelhouman is lucky to still be alive. He said "I'm somewhat uncomfortable with the notoriety the fire service received subsequently. The heroes were the first responders, many of whom lost their lives. But somehow the entire fire service became this larger than life entity. In my opinion, there was too much attention, too much tribute - it was over the top. Suddenly fire fighters could do no wrong. But as individuals, we're normal people - and we make mistakes."

This is one of the most touching statements I have ever heard. He is a normal individual and that gives me the strength to be that normal person, but with a caring, courageous side. He is suffering because he chose to help. That is one of the most important reasons I look up to Harold. He definitely displays the dictionary term for hero.