The word “hero” is over-used. Soldiers, firefighters, and police officers who are doing their routine jobs are often labeled “heroes,” and the word has become somewhat debased.
Khalid al-Assad is someone who really deserves that label. He was the archeological expert for the Syrian city of Palmyra. Jihadists captured him, but he would not tell them where he and others had hid some of the city’s antiquities.
Mr. al-Assad was dragged to a public square where a masked swordsman cut off his head. He was 83. His body was strung up to a traffic light with his head, still wearing his glasses, was put between his feet.
We know this because the jihadists broadcast the picture on social media.
I think the United Nations should award a medal for brave people like Mr. al-Assad, men and women who are willing to die to preserve our planet and its civilization. It could be like the medal of honor, which is sometimes awarded posthumously. We need to remember people like that.
Information for this post was taken from an article entitled “Shielding Syria’s Antiquities, to His Grisly Death.” by Ben Hubbard in today’s Times
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