Famous or not, the Brother who fulfills his duty to the best of his ability is a hero in my book.

One of the great benefits of my Masonic visitations to various Valleys across the Southern Jurisdiction is the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Brothers of all Degrees and professions. This personal contact always strengthens my confidence in Freemasonry, the Scottish Rite, and our Brethren. Clearly, the principles of the Rite and Craft are guideposts in each Brother's life as he goes about the daily routines of caring for his family, building his career, or serving his community and nation. Let me share with you just two examples.

His first name is Drew. I won't risk embarrassing him by identifying him further than that. Brother Drew is a member of the Scottish Rite, and he has one of the most dangerous jobs around. He is a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Brother Drew is also an expert in the martial arts. A few years ago, he became convinced that training in the martial arts could be very useful to those in the Marshal Service, because they are often called upon to transport violent and dangerous prisoners. It was not unknown for innocent bystanders to be hurt when prisoners try to escape and have to be subdued by force. There are martial arts techniques that allow an officer to gain control quickly, with minimum damage either to the prisoner or to others in the area. (I resisted the temptation to ask for a demonstration.) So Drew has been working to institute such a program in the Service, and he trained several officers. He founded the Martial Arts and Defensive Tactics Club to help spread the word about the importance of these techniques. There is no way to tell how many lives have been saved or how much serious injury has been prevented. In my book, Brother Drew is a hero.

At another Valley, I met Brother Jimmy. He is the electrical contractor for a city of about 50,000. In 2001, one of the most severe ice storms on record knocked out electrical power to half his state. Except for a few emergency generators at local hospitals, there was no power in the entire city. That meant all essential services were impacted, including the city's water pumped from wells in outlying fields. Supplies would be exhausted in less than a day, if power were not restored.

Brother Jimmy quickly calculated the power ratings of the portable commercial generators he could rent. Soon, he had generators on trucks rolling toward his city from as far as two states away. In sub-zero weather, in blowing ice and snow, he led or directed the generator trucks to their destinations, making and testing electrical connections on the run. When some of the trucks sank helplessly into the snow, Brother Jimmy climbed into the cab of a large caterpillar and pulled the trucks free, regardless of the fact that he had never operated the equipment before. For an entire week, until crews from the power company could restore electricity to the city, he averaged only one or two hours sleep a night. Because of him, the water supply did not fail, and there was enough power to meet emergency needs. What could have been a catastrophe was averted. In my book, Brother Jimmy, like Brother Drew, is a hero.

Sometimes, when we do special issues of the Journal, like this one, devoted to Masonic heroes, Brethren ask me why most of the articles are about Masons who are dead. They ask, "Where are the living Masonic heroes?"

Certainly, Masonic heroes are around us every day. It is just that they are often overlooked. Both Brothers Drew and Jimmy are heroes, though both would deny it strongly. Masonic heroism has always shone most strongly in men doing what needs to be done, in being focused on the task and ignoring pain or inconvenience or personal sacrifice. It would have been far easier for Brother Drew to quietly do his job and not make waves. It would have been far more comfortable for Brother Jimmy to have said, "My eight-hour shift is over; it's someone else's problem now." But that's not what heroes do.

Masonic heroes? The Brother who works all day and then goes home to dress and attend his Lodge or Temple that night, staying there late to work on a committee project; the Brother who spends his Saturday driving a car filled with Rainbow Girls to a state meeting (when he would far rather be home in his favorite chair, watching a game on television); and the Brother who spends Sunday afternoon visiting Brethren in the hospital-they are all Masonic heroes in my book. The Brother who week after week delivers the Masonic funeral service because there is no one else in his county who knows it and because he believes a deceased Brother and his family are entitled to that service if they wish it, he is a hero in my book. There are so many other examples.

Masonic heroism is like that. Some are heroes because they have led the nation through times of crisis and war, some because they have made great discoveries in science or medicine which have improved the lives of millions, some because they quietly make the world better and safer for those around them.

All are important. And all I proudly note in my book of heroes.