By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthy nursing school habits
    Healthy Habits for Nursing Student Nursing School Students
    May 24, 2024
    High Deductables
    High-Deductible Insurance and Rising Bad Debt
    July 24, 2015
    How People Are Taking Advantage of Health Deals in the Recent Recession
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Heroism in Harm’s Way
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Heroism in Harm’s Way
Policy & LawPublic Health

Heroism in Harm’s Way

ckapsa
Last updated: February 21, 2015 9:00 am
ckapsa
Share
8 Min Read
SHARE

In Harm’s Way

Brian Williams flew into harm’s way. At least that’s the tale he told. Williams was reporting from Iraq in 2003. He was aboard a Chinook helicopter when it was forced down by enemy fire. His story now seems to be an exaggeration.

Contents
In Harm’s WayIn Harm’s WayUnder FireDeath TollShot Down

In Harm’s Way

Brian Williams flew into harm’s way. At least that’s the tale he told. Williams was reporting from Iraq in 2003. He was aboard a Chinook helicopter when it was forced down by enemy fire. His story now seems to be an exaggeration.

The damaged copter in question was one of three or four flying in convoy formation at low altitude. The aircraft was about 100 feet above the ground when hit. According to the crew, Williams was not a passenger in the crippled helicopter. He was flying in a chopper behind it. Way behind. In a different convoy, on a different mission.

It’s possible Williams was genuinely uncertain about what happened, deafened by the roar of Chinook rotors, blinded by swirling dust. It’s also possible he rearranged the details. War correspondents look more heroic under fire. (Williams was not yet anchor of NBC Nightly News.)

More Read

Malpractice
Educating Medical Professionals and Healing with Virtual Reality
Calling for More Than an Ounce of Prevention
Following the French on Alzheimer’s care
Games Health Plans Play: Understanding 2015 Obamacare Premiums

It is certain egos have run amok.

Williams dramatized his Iraqi story, likely to appear more daring. The pilots and crew are angry their genuine bravery under fire was co-opted by a journalist. But no one in those helicopters was killed that day. No one was shot. No one was injured.

Stripped to the core, the outrage centers on who has the right to claim bravery under fire.

Lakes of ink and gazillions of electrons are pouring out condemning Williams’s dishonesty. The bandwidth is clogged with chortling commentators. Platoons of media watchers gleefully speculate on the death of his career.

Under Fire

Journalists spend scant drops of ink and few electrons covering young Americans in harm’s way every day. Americans whose lives are cut short, not their careers. They don’t have careers yet.report news, journalists

They’re babies, toddlers, school-kids.

The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. The mission statement says, “Gun Violence Archive… formed in 2013 to provide free online public access to accurate information about gun-related violence in the United States.” The number of children and teens killed or injured by firearms is startling:

  • Sixty-seven children from newborn to age eleven have been shot since January 1st, 2015.
  • The number for older kids 12-17 is almost four times greater—229. These numbers rise daily.
  • In 2014, the total number of children from cradle to car keys (0-17) who were killed or wounded by guns was 2,979. That’s 763 more deaths and injuries than all the deaths of military personnel in Afghanistan in thirteen years (2,216 lives). (Yes, I’m comparing gun deaths and injuries with military deaths only. Apples and oranges? Maybe. But I’m comparing children to soldiers…)

Older children and teens can be courageous when circumstances call for courage. It’s implausible, though, that many of the 3,269 kids who caught a bullet in 2014 chose to be in harm’s way. Most aren’t bragging. They’re dead.

Death Toll

Aaron Carroll is a pediatrician and prolific blogger. He also writes for the New York Times’s feature The Upshot. Published in the middle of the Williams uproar, Carroll’s piece “How to Prioritize and Save Young Lives” was a chilling reminder of lives at risk.

Americans don’t have clear ideas about what kills children and adolescents, according to Carroll. People are often surprised to learn more children succumb to accidents than any other cause. Motor vehicle accidents are the most common, especially for the 15-24 year-old crowd. (Other accidents include falls, drownings and poisonings.) The second leading cause of death for young adults is homicide, followed by suicide.

Carroll compared public health efforts in Denmark to programs here. The Danes spent money on robust motor vehicle safety programs. They focused on increasing seat belt use and decreasing driving under the influence. He writes, “In the last three decades, motor vehicle deaths among young adults in Denmark has decreased by more than 85 percent, while cars on the road increased by 90 percent.” Those are stunning results.

Denmark and the US had roughly similar suicide rates for 15-24 year-olds back in the eighties. Denmark began a national suicide prevention program about twenty-five years ago. We didn’t. Our suicide rate for young people rose from 9.7 per 100,000 in 2003 to 11.1 ten years later. The Danish rate dropped by half.

Denmark is beautiful, but it’s cold and dark for much of the year. Young Danes kill themselves at the rate of 5-6 per 100,000 each year. Alaska is also beautiful. And wrapped in frigid darkness for much of the year. The suicide rate for young Alaskans was 38.2/100,000 in 2013. That’s the highest suicide rate in the United States.

Do Danes care about their young people seven times more than Americans? Is an Alaskan life only a fraction as valuable as a Danish life?

Dr. Carroll acknowledges American political realities. Launching national programs to reduce gun violence and motor vehicle accidents is improbable if not impossible. We’d rather sacrifice children instead. But let’s be clear that’s what we’re doing.child, violence, shot, harm

Shot Down

Brian Williams wasn’t shot at over Iraq in 2003. He was shot down in New York City last week. Williams was in harm’s way. In Manhattan’s canyons, not Iraqi dunes.

Media experts tossing dirt on the grave of Williams’s career should put down their shovels. Newsflash! Brian Williams is vain! Yeah, who isn’t? He seems like a decent man with a good heart and lots of talent. And money.

Here’s a suggestion for his penance while the dust settles. Williams could begin a campaign to tell Americans the ways our children and young people are dying every day. By their own hand or someone else’s. He could report the stories of these lost lives and ask why we’re willing to abandon our children.

Williams could gather his courage and take on the National Rifle Association. Ask the NRA why they sacrifice our children. Williams would have a chance to show heroism under fire.

Because he really would fly into harm’s way then.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

When and How Much TasP is Value for Money?

January 12, 2013

Addressing Medical Errors: Working to Improve Care and Reduce Costs

September 27, 2012

ACO’s and CMS

July 2, 2011

Uninsured Fall Head First Into Gaping Coverage Gap

October 21, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?