Ever wish you could jump through your computer screen and give someone in a news story a big fat hug? No? Just me? Maybe this will change your mind: Frank Hall, the assistant football coach being dubbed a hero for chasing the shooter out of Ohio's Chardon High School on Monday morning is actually apologizing to families of his students.
Now wait just a darn minute. This man put his life on the line to save children from unspeakable horrors. What could he possibly have to apologize for?
Well, nothing -- according to the people in Chardon, who have nothing but good things to say about this teacher. But it seems Frank Hall is beating himself up. Literally, a man who should have the respect of the nation right now is so humble that he told reporters, "I wish I could have done more."
No, no, no! Nothing that happened in Chardon this week is fair. It's not fair that children, CHILDREN, lost their lives. It's not fair that a school became a war zone. And it's not fair that a man who did something many of us would be too scared to do would have to sit there questioning himself. It makes me so sad, I wish I could do something for him. But I can't put my arms through my laptop screen, so this will have to suffice.
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In the wake of tragedy, it's natural to walk back over every moment and wonder "what if." The benefit of hindsight is that we now have time to strip the intricate details of something -- be it a school shooting, a car accident, whatever -- down to the bare bones. But as much as it is natural, we can't revisit what has already happened too often. It is too late to second guess ourselves. What's done is done, and in order to move on, you have to settle for "I did my best."
And let's face it, Frank Hall didn't just do "his best." He chased a teenage boy with a gun that he'd just used to shoot at least five classmates. This father, this man, risked his own life to save the lives of other people's children. He personifies heroism. And he shouldn't be apologizing for that.
What do you wish you could say to Frank Hall today?
Image via ABC5