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Perspectives
Actions of heroes deserve acclaim
When the gunfire rang out in the
cafeteria, only a handful of students
reacted by moving toward the shooter
AM EMERALD EDITORIAL
More than a month after the
fact, the images are still
clear.
KEZI's rumpled-look
ing news anchor Rick Dancer report
ing live from Thurston High School.
President Clinton offering his condo
lences. Springfield Mayor Bill
Morisette struggling to lead a shat
tered community.
On May 21, people from all over
the world followed the news as it
trickled in. One student dead ... two
bodies discovered at the suspect's
home ... a second student dead ...
But even more than the gruesome
story of two high school students
shot to death in their cafeteria, the
nation was captivated by the story of
the handful of students who saved
lives. The heroes.
The news media immediately
chose junior Jacob Ryker as their
poster boy for heroism. Already shot
through the chest, Ryker moved to
ward the shooter and was the first to
get there. A moment later, Adam
Walburger piled on, followed by a
few more students. Then Ryker was
shot again through the hand with a
9mm handgun as he continued to
battle the gunman on the ground.
In its July issue, Life magazine ran
a cover spread and inside story high
lighting the acts of nine Thurston
students, including Ryker and Wal
burger. "Stopping the bullets: heroes
of a high school shooting," reads the
cover. Scoffing at the "hero" tag, the
students say they didn't even think
about their actions. They simply re
acted.
"I didn't do it alone," Life quoted
Jacob Ryker as saying. His attitude
toward his own actions has re
mained consistent. Just days after the
shooting, Ryker refused to appear on
CNN's Larry King Live unless some
of the others were invited.
"I don't feel like a hero," Jacob's
younger brother Josh Ryker said in
Life.
Despite their modesty, these stu
dents truly are heroes. A lot of he
roes emerged from the frightening in
cident. Doctors, students, teachers,
parents — they all contributed.
Everyone was reacting. Some ran to
ward the bullets, and others ran
away. Some ran toward the carnage
to administer first aid, and others ran
away.
A handful of teenagers reacted un
like anyone else. They risked their
lives to save lives. That is a heroic
action. It's not what most people
would do in that situation, and that
is evidenced by the number of peo
ple who reacted by leaving the cafe
teria.
The situation remains sad and dis
turbing. A young suspect awaits a tri
al, accused of the murders of two
classmates and his parents. One vic
tim is still recovering at Sacred Heart
Medical Center. Friends and families
still mourn the premature deaths of
Ben Walker and Mikael Nickolau
son. A community is still startled.
But in spite of the sadness, the title
"hero" is appropriate. These students
acted quickly and smartly, and they
have earned recognition for their
heroic acts.
This editorial represents the opinion of
the Emerald editorial tx>ard. Responses
may he sent to ode@oregon. t toregon.edu.
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