For potential heroes to rise to the call they must have cultivated heroic virtues, such as courage. As C.S. Lewis once said, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means, at the point of highest reality.” Young people especially need to aspire to roles in which they can develop and hone such virtues.

If you wonder why there are so many mass shootings in America lately you might start by asking why you don’t know the name of Leo Johnson.

Seven years ago today, Johnson, the operations manager for Family Research Council (FRC) was temporarily manning the front desk at the organization’s Washington, DC headquarters when a terrorist entered with a handgun and 100 rounds of ammunition. As the shooter drew his weapon and began firing, Johnson charged the man. Although Johnson was wounded in the forearm he still managed to wrestle the gun away from him. (You can see a video of the incident here, and the post I wrote for the PowerBlog about my former colleague here.) The shooter later told authorities that he wanted to kill as many people as he could and smear Chick-fil-A sandwiches in their faces.

Johnson had been frequently awarded for being a loyal and dedicated employee and was admired by everyone who worked with him at FRC. Yet the certificates and “Employee of the Month” plaques were modest tributes to his true character, which few people fully recognized until Johnson prevented a mass shooting.

“The security guard here is a hero, as far as I’m concerned,” said Washington D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, “He did his job. The person never made it past the front.” That is only partially correct. What makes Johnson a hero is that he did much more than his job—he fulfilled his vocation as a hero.

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