My father used to say, &uot;You can tell a man’s character by what he turns up when offered a job &045; his nose or his sleeves.&uot;

Corey Goodnature rolled up his sleeves. His job was a little more difficult than most; you see, Corey’s job was to protect our country and provide us freedom. Corey is what character is all about. Corey lived his job.

I never knew Corey Goodnature, but I sure wish I had. I wish that I was half the man that Donald and Deb Goodnature’s son had become. Corey was what you want to be when you grow up. He was a son, a father, a soldier, a husband and a brother. He was a hero, plain and simple.

Heroes do not come easy to me. You see, to many people a hero is an athlete, an actor or a singer. To me, a hero is not something you are born to be, but rather something you learn through life. A hero is the person who puts himself last and all others first. A hero is someone who would never call himself or herself a hero, but in that same gesture, shine the light of

heroism on someone or something else. Corey Goodnature was a true hero.

I had the honor of speaking with Deb Goodnature and after a few minutes of listening to her kindness and her love of family, I thought if Corey is half the person that his mother is, then I know exactly what a hero is.

There is a saying that goes &uot;It’s hard to lose a loved one.&uot; I do not believe that fits in with Corey Goodnature. First, losing is not in his vocabulary, and second a person like Corey is never truly lost, he survives in the love of his family and lives in all the places that hope and freedom will be talked about. Freedom is what Corey gave us all; it is what he spent his life protecting. It is the reason that he deserves our thanks.

When I hit my knees tonight, I am going to ask that not only are Corey and his family comforted during this difficult time, but that more people like Corey exist in our world. In the last week or so, Corey helped me realize that in our world there still exist heroes and human beings who go above and beyond what is needed when the time calls.

I am humbled to put some words together for such a good person with such a proud and loving family. I know that there are no words that could ever live up to the kind of person Corey is and the freedom that he has given us all and I just want to say, &uot;Thank you, Corey.&uot;

God bless.

(Scott Schmeltzer is the publisher of the Albert Lea Tribune. His column appears Mondays.)