Extraordinary acts of heroism

Need a little inspiration? Visit the Web site of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, www.carnegiehero.org. It contains thousands of vignettes of ordinary people who performed remarkable acts of heroism in civilian life. The award program, now in its 103rd year, affirms the innate goodness of man.

That could certainly be said of three men who helped save a toddler who fell off a trail in American Fork Canyon on Sept. 24, 2006. They are among 19 people to receive the latest Carnegie Medals. They are Vitaly Tsikoza, 41, of Novosibirsk, Russia; Marc J. Ellison, 35, of American Fork and Mickey Horak, 26, of Corpus Christi, Texas.

According to press reports, Tsikoza fell 400 feet to his death attempting to save family friend Paulina Filippova, 3, who had fallen from a trail to a narrow ledge about 75 feet below. Ellison, a seasonal park ranger, and Horak, a tourist, reached the girl and kept her safe on the ledge, the surface of which was loose, for 90 minutes until help arrived.

Ellison is among 40 Utahns to be recognized by the commission since its founding in 1904, which is an impressive number. Perhaps more impressive are the many young Utahns who have received this honor over the decades. Two were 12 years old, eight others were teenagers.

According to the commission's Web site, nominees must be civilians who voluntarily risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the life of another person. That clearly describes another Carnegie Medal winner, 17-year-old Kassandra Guymon of Clinton, who in 2002 rescued a 4-year-old boy from the path of an oncoming train in Sunset.

The hero fund was created by industrialist Andrew Carnegie after he was inspired by rescue stories from a mine disaster that killed 181 people. More than 9,000 people, selected from more than 80,000 nominees, have received the honor since the fund's inception. About one-fifth of the medals are awarded posthumously. The program also provides financial assistance to the dependants of people killed while helping others as well as those who suffer disabilities while assisting others. Some $29.6 million has been awarded in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and continuing assistance.

This program lifts up common men and women who have risked their own lives, in many cases, to save the lives of complete strangers. They represent the very best of human kind. Utahns should be proud of the men and women who, over the years, have been bestowed this honor.