You find heroes in some of the most unusual places.  I find one several times a week, of all places, the base gym.  Yes, I’m in there with all the folks with the big arms and slim waists–a little like I used to be many bodies ago when I was a gymnast.  But not anymore–that’s life.

But this hero is a young man named Quellan.  Look carefully at the picture and you’ll understand why he is one of my heroes.  He does everything with one hand.  Quellan faithfully comes to work every day doing the hard work of keeping a rather large gym fit and ready for those seeking fitness.  He always does it with a smile and if he is working at the front door, he always holds the door for me.  I don’t deserve that honor; I should be holding the door for him.

I often wonder how difficult it may be for Quellan to get up every day and face the climb of another day of service.  It might be hard, but I’ll bet for Quellan it is easy; he has a faith; a focus on what is before him.  Now there’s a hero.

I mentioned earlier another hero.  His name is Richard “Dick” Toliver.  He is a second generation Tuskegee Airman, the legendary P-51 Mustang Red Tails who escorted B-17s over Germany during WW II and never lost a bomber to German fighters.  Dick is a retired Air Force Colonel fighter pilot, who has experienced his share of challenges while flying.  But that’s not what makes Dick a hero; it is his character, heart, and faith that make him a hero.  From his childhood he experienced the ravages of racism.  His family was forced out of Louisiana when he was a boy. The Air Force sent him to Selma, Alabama for pilot training in the early 60s and he, his wife and first child couldn’t find a place to live. He knew the Martin Luther King family and witnessed the march across the Selma Bridge (Edmund Pettus Bridge) and someone burned a cross on his lawn after he finally found a place to live.  But the extraordinary thing about this hero is that he became an Uncaged Eagle, the title of his book (http://www.anuncagedeagle.com/).  He became Uncaged from the bonds of the past to experience freedom as a follower of Jesus and to this day, he shares his story and encourages those who come behind.  Now there is a hero . . . and a great friend.  Oh, did I say, we all can become Uncaged.