A Brief History
Yesterday we listed 10 people or groups we feel deserving of being named Scumbags of the Year (so far) for 2016, and today we take a brighter, more optimistic look at the year 2016 by naming 10 people or groups that provide someone we could look to for leadership, inspiration, and success.
Digging Deeper
10. The Lake Erie Monsters, hockey.
This American Hockey League team won the Calder Cup this year, giving Cleveland and Northeast Ohio a much needed breath of fresh air and pride, setting a fine example for other sports teams in the area.
9. Stipe Miocic, fighter.
The Heavyweight Champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, this Cleveland area native and resident made sure to acknowledge his fellow Northeast Ohioans when he won the title in May 2016. An intelligent and classy man, this warrior is no stereotypical fighter, and he even works as a firefighter and paramedic.
8. Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, basketball.
The tall timber from Cuyahoga Country made the entire region proud when they battled back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to beat Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors for the first NBA Championship in Cavaliers history. This championship came after a 52 year drought in major league Cleveland sports teams, with the Browns last winning a championship back in 1964. James, almost assuredly the best all around and most valuable player in basketball, had returned to Cleveland with a promise of bringing home a championship, a tough promise to keep, but one he kept with incredible effort, guts, and performance, perhaps the greatest NBA Finals performance in history. The Cavs won it all without dirty play or scandals, and without cockiness and bravado.
7. Malcolm “Mike” Winffel, took a bullet for a stranger.
This 45 year old was in a Maryland mall parking lot when he heard a woman scream. Running to her aid, he saw the woman backing away from a gun wielding Eulalio Tordil, who had already killed his own wife. Mike unhesitatingly put himself between the gunman and the woman and was shot to death. Although the woman was also hit by a bullet, she lived, no doubt thanks to the incredible bravery and sacrifice of a stranger. Mike’s co-worker, Carl Unger, was with Winffel at the time and was also shot, although he too survived. Obviously, Unger had also heroically responded to the woman in peril.
6. Patrick Nice, Nice Guy.
In a case of an oh so appropriately named hero, Mr. Nice provided some food for a homeless man, setting the food on the guy’s cart. When Nice checked back a while later, he saw the food uneaten. Concerned, Nice checked a nearby dumpster and sure enough, buried under trash was the homeless man. Nice climbed into the dumpster to uncover the man and called for help, staying with the homeless man until police and firefighters came. Prior to that, Nice stopped a garbage truck from collecting the homeless man along with the trash in the dumpster, thereby saving the guy’s life. Patrick truly is Mr. Nice! (Santa Clara, California.)
5. Dayko the Labrador Retriever, Rescue dog.
Dogs save lives every day, and as in this instance, sometimes they give their own life to save humans. Dayko was a rescue dog credited with saving 7 people from the rubble of the April 16, 2016 earthquake in Ecuador. The courageous dog died of heatstroke leading to a heart attack. (Did you know the most courageous/ferocious dog breed of all is the cute, lovable Dachshund? Dachshunds have saved their owners from bears!) In another (May) 2016 incident, a German Shepard saved a 7 year old girl from a rattlesnake, the dog being bitten 3 times in the process, though it survived.
4. Dr. Henry Heimlich, life saver.
Yes, that Dr. Heimlich, the inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver that has saved thousands of lives (estimated around 100,000!). In May of 2016 the good doctor finally got a chance to personally save a choking victim’s life with his personal technique at his retirement home.
3. People acting with selfless abandon in terror incidents.
In virtually every case of some sort of terror incident people have consistently acted without regard to their own safety and have saved other lives, whether evacuating wounded people, covering others with their own bodies, or bravely attacking the gunman/men. The brother of singer Christina Grimmie is an example, as are the civilians as well as police that risked their lives to save others at the Orlando night club incident, such as former Marine Imran Yousuf. Professor Christopher Lynch personally held a door shut to contain a murderous gunman at a June 2016 shooting at UCLA. These people such as the American servicemen that took down a terrorist shooter on a French train (in August 2015) and the teachers that sacrifice themselves for their students in school shootings are indicative of just how brave Americans can be and are during virtually every dangerous crisis that arises.
2. US and UK Military.
We still have thousands of military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in bases and embassies all over the world, as well as on ships above and below the sea. Enduring long periods away from home and loved ones and often in desolate uncomfortable places, these military people continue to protect us in an overwhelmingly classy way, showing the world the best of our youth that perform in a competent, highly professional manner. (Politicians, please knock off the partisan crap and honor these people by cleaning up and improving the Veterans Administration!)
1. America’s Police Officers.
Despite scorn piled on them by misguided media and politicians, the overwhelming majority of our cops are considerate and brave individuals, men and women that run toward the sound of gunfire, not away! Although being protested against in Dallas and having thousands of people chanting “Fuck the police” these same reviled officers rushed to keep those protesters safe when a sniper opened fire, killing 5 cops and wounding 7 more. This class behavior is actually much more typical than those rare cases when cops are crooks. With politicians, the media, and much of the public throwing their police under the bus, most cops still put their lives on the line to maintain order and help the law abiding public whenever and however possible. We salute the men and women in blue! (Yes, and Blue Lives Matter!) With about 56% of police retiring on disability, the job is obviously much more dangerous than mere killed on duty statistics indicate. The stress and adrenaline dumps lead to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, alcoholism and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. See the link below for further information: http://www.badgeoflife.com/retirees.php.
Question for students (and subscribers): Feel free to tell us some people or groups you think belong on this list in the comments section below this article.
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Cooley, Steve and Robert Schirn. Blue Lives Matter – In the Line of Duty. Titletown Publishing, LLC, 2017.
