When an individual acts in a heroic manner, the media tries to provide the recognition that individual deserves for his or her actions.

Yes, sometimes people are simply in the right place at the right time and just so happen to have the training to handle the matter at hand, but it takes poise and mental strength to stay cool in such a time of need.

As explained in the Thursday edition of the Northern Star, Sean Ostruszka happened to be that individual in the right place at the right time. His certification in CPR and his mental strength made him the perfect person to have nearby in a crisis. In this case, crisis took the form of Aurora Beacon News reporter, Rick Armstrong, having a major heart attack.

Ostruszka, who had been talking to Armstrong, was already at the scene and though he likely never thought he would have to use his training, he was prepared for such a crisis.

In Thursday’s Star, he explained the matter in an all-too-humble manner, another sign of true heroism, and went into the detail of the situation.

However, what he humbly explained needs to be celebrated in a far more overt manner.

When a person is a hero, he deserves a pat on the back, and all those who know him feel a little more important for knowing him. Today we honestly feel that way. Sean is a fellow Star employee and a genuinely good guy to know, even before last weekend’s actions. Knowing him is knowing a hero.

With all the depressing events in the Gulf Coast in the last month, hearing about heroic deeds makes you feel optimistic. They make you feel that there are people in this world that balance out all the horrible stuff you read about on other days – they are the people who represent good in the world. Today we can simply look to the other side of the newsroom and say hello to one such person, one such story.

We don’t want to pat our own back, we just want to say that today, we at the Star are truly proud to have Sean Ostruszka as one of our own.

After major heart surgery, Rick Armstrong is alive and recovering from this weekend’s terrible happenings. We can’t say a single word for Armstrong; most of us haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the man, but we can only assume he is grateful for Ostruszka’s strength and preparedness in a way we all hope we never have to feel.

We aren’t going to recite the meaning of a hero from a dictionary, or explain what makes Ostruszka’s behavior so heroic. We are simply going to say thank you for being there, for being a person we can look to and feel proud to know and for being a living example of those hopeful, optimistic, happy stories we don’t read about enough in the media.

Thank you Sean. We are truly grateful to know you. We are grateful to be able to look over toward you, to see people like you really do exist, and to have faith that one day someone like you might be sitting right next to us when we are in need.

Agree? Disagree? Contact us at

www.northernstar.info