Your Country's Greatest Hero?

[seyhun]

Ataturk was charged in Gallipoli front during 1915. But you claim that so called Genocide has happened in 1915 in East Anatolia about a 800 km away from Gallipoli. Beside this the reality is East Anatolia was occupied by Russian- Armenian forces in 1915-1916 during the WWI and hundeds thousands of Turks were massacred ( I dont want to use the term of genocide) by Armenians. After the WWI when Turkey lost the war , Armenians had started a propaganda by using British and American media that they were massacred by Turks to make East Anatolia an Armenian land. (They're still doing the same ) Ataturk give their response in 1920 and Armenian horrible army escape to Armenia which they belongs to.

Second one; after the armistice in October 1918 when Turkish army give up the weapons, a strong and fresh Greek Army with 200.000 troops armored by England had begun to occupy the Western Anatolia in 15 May 1919 despite the armistice. Ataturk has organised a resistance and stopped the invaders near Ankara in September 1921 and won a brilliant Victory against all odds one year later ( 30 August 1922 is our Victory Day ) and threw them away from Anatolia. After the Armenian and Greek occupation and terorism all part of Anatolia -mainland of the Turks, was destoyed and burn. The Turkish population decreased to 13 million . THIS IS THE REAL HISTORY . PLEASE BE INFORMED.

[Marcus Scaurus]

The Armenian genocide is recognised by most civilised countries in the world, also by historians/authors like Orhan Pamuk. Only the Turkish government denies it.

[seyhun]

Do you know that these civilised countries !! prohibit the discussion of so called Arm. genoside. If I've written or declared my previous comment (#41 ) in France or Switzerland I would have been arrested by the authorities. This is the western style democracy understanding. However some brave French historians protest this act. Orhan Pamuk is not an historian he has no knowledge about the events in 1915.

But first You said Ataturk participate in Arm. genocide. When I refute it you attack from an other point. I advise you to have knowledge before to have an idea.

[Mesamedasu]

Belgian votes:

Ambiorix: Very very 'rome: total war' indeed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambiorix

But seriously:
Father Damien: chosen as the Greatest Belgian of all time by the Flemish part of this complicated country.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Damien
"The political and journalistic world can boast of very few heroes who compare with Father Damien of Moloka'i. It is worthwhile to look for the sources of such heroism." Mahatma Gandhi.

Just to point out that there's no need for war or conflict for heroes to arise.

[Artemas Ward the XXIII, Esquire]

Lets not turn this thread into another "bash Turkey thread" please.


For heroes? I would have to go for Curry. The Almighty Pear of Doom!

[Basileos Leandros I]

Vlad Tepes, Dracula.

[The Thracian]

Britain's greatest hero for me is Winston Churchill. His great leadership in the second world war and the fact he was huge public figure despite the troubled times make him my choice. If neville Chamberlain was Prime minister during the second world war we would have lost.

[Deathgate]

For denmark i would Peder Wessel Tordenskjold a danish captain in the great northern war

[Ragabash]

Lauri Törni.

I dont know can he be descriped as a hero, but he was one of bravest and famous finnish soldiers ever.

Lauri Allan Törni (May 28, 1919 - October 1965) was a Finnish Army Captain who led an infantry company in Finnish Winter and Continuation War and moved to the United States after the war. He is known as the soldier who fought under three flags: Finnish, German and USA, when he fought the Russians in World War II, and American (where he was known as Larry Thorne) when he fought in Vietnam.

[Marcus Scaurus]

The Finnish sniper who killed hundreds of Russians in less than a year should be mentioned to. I think he was the sniper with the most kills in the world.

[Handsome Huss]

So.....Is this the 'Greatest Hero' thread, or the 'Guy That Killed The Most People' thread..?

I mean, God forbid anybody be known for anything other than how much they "pwn" the battlefield.

Goes to show, I guess, ya know... But just imagine a time and place where a nation didn't have to be forged in blood.

Aw well...I dont mean that for every name mentioned...but some..for instance, the Finnish sniper who shot hundreds...I mean, seriously.. Unless a Finnish person can come on here and tell me that there has been absolutely no other person in your counrty's history who has actually had an impact on the Finnish culture......................
What about Vilho Kivikangas? The Finnish Doctor who...hey look at that...has SAVED hundreds of lives.
(And yes, that name was just found by googling the words 'Finnish Heroes'..I know nothing about Finnish culture..)

Now, yes, if the root of a Hero is courage, then there are many heroes on the battlefield. There are many times when a soldier will have to be brave and they are heroes for it...however, if the root of courage is adversity, then the greatest of heroes should be the men and women who have overcome the greatest of adversities for the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

With that aside though...I'd personally say that Neil Armstrong is the greatest American. Whats greater than being the first man on the moon... But...of course, I know nothing about American history..in fact, Im not even American. But, I know even less of my own country's history...Sad, eh?

[Dionysios II The Great]

I think most Belgians Belgian hero is probably King Albert I.
He fought near his soldiers, and didn't allow the Germans to pass through Belgian into France.
"Belgium is a nation, not a road!"

[Markas]

I think most Belgians Belgian hero is probably King Albert I.
He fought near his soldiers, and didn't allow the Germans to pass through Belgian into France.
"Belgium is a nation, not

LOL- "Belgium is a nation, not" who was their leader? garth from wayne's world?!?

[ckerr094]

There are none from my country

[Markas]

And I apologise for taking the mickey, Dionysius. If only he actually had said that, tho...

[Daovonnaex]

Dag Hammarskjöld.
(Sweden)

Are you kidding me? Hammarskjöld was an incompetent buffoon.

I am American, and I'd have to say the greatest hero of my country is Thomas Edison. His prolific mind and business acumen did more for this country than any soldier or statesman ever could. Honorable mentions would go to Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, William Bradford Shockley (transistor), Thomas Watson Jr. (modern computer), and Samuel Colt.

Since everyone here seems to idolize power and murder rather than real heroes, I'll list some for other countries.

For our friendly neighbor to the north, Canada I'll cast my vote for Frederick Banting, the co-discoverer of insulin. His work has saved tens of millions of lives and created a normal quality of life for what was once a horrible, lethal ailment. Just so you guys don't think I'm biased, I'm not a diabetic, and no one in my family has diabetes.

Crossing the pond to Britain, I'll cast my vote for Henry Bessemer, the discoverer of Bessemer steel blowing process, one of the greatest inventions ever. Without the Bessemer process, there could be no reinforced concrete, no automobiles, no modern ships, or many other things we take for granted today. Other possibilities include James Watt, Alexander Fleming, Isaac Newton, Frank Whittle (jet engine), James Clerk Maxwell, or Nathan Meyer Rothschild.

In France Louis Pasteur would be the undisputed leader on my list. Pasteurization has saved more lives than medical science ever has, and it allows us to have a cold beer anywhere in the world.[/b]

In Sweden, my ancestral homeland, I'd vote for Lars Magnus Ericsson, a brilliant industrialist, inventor, and businessman. Another possibility is Han Rausing, the man who managed Tetrapak from 1954 to 1985.

In Finland, I would consider Mannerheim, since without him there would be no Finland. However, in keeping with my course here, Kari Kairamo and Jorma Ollila, the men who took Nokia from a minor conglomerate to a world telecommunications powerhouse. It is impossible to seperate Finland's rise from a Baltic backwater to global industrial and technology powerhouse from these two men.

Entrepreneurs, inventors, engineers, and scientists are the real heroes of humanity.

[Trajan]

Being American I'm going with Audie Murphy, the most decorated American of the Second World War.

Yeah, me too. Audie Murphy was truly a man's man. The most decorated American hero in WWII and yet he had a baby face where you wouldn’t think that such a man would be so heroic, brave, and an excellent soldier. Sadly enough, I haven't read any bios on him but I've heard a lot of him from my dad and I've seen a couple of his movies.

[James Connolly]

Wolfe Tone - Because of his part in founding the United Irishmen - A non sectarian society dedicated to overthrowing British Rule in Ireland and forming a government based on the same ideals as the American revolution, unfortunately the United Irishmen rebellion of 1798 failed, however it left a legacy that was to inspire Republicans in the future.

Above all though I admire him for the non-sectarian stance of the United Irishmen, he himself was a protestant - I think that many Nationalists/Republicans like myself want to see the return of Protestantism into the constitutional Republican/Nationalist movement, unfortunately the mess of the Troubles has made this nearly impossible.

Charles Stewart Parnell - For getting extremely close to passing a Home Rule Bill for Ireland and rallying the people against the landlords - if only he could've kept his trousers on.

James Connolly - I admire his left wing politics, and like Wolfe Tone he was able to rally Catholics and Protestants to a common cause. Uniting them to speak out against their extortionist employers. While he was Marxist, unlike Lenin and co. he didn't believe violence should equate with politics, the ICA where created for defence.

This changed when the Great War began and men began to be slaughtered in their thousands, he saw his life's work go down the drain and decided to cooperate with the IRB to participate in the Easter Rising. Ultimately the Rising failed but the manner in which the leaders where 'brought to justice' (Connolly himself was shot in a chair, too wounded to stand) sparked a wave of revolutionary sympathy throughout Ireland. A true martyr IMO, that and his politics are why I admire him.


Can't really make my mind up about who is the greatest, they all contributed to Ireland in different ways.

[carl-the-conqueror]

king arthur, he united britain

or


winston churchill, not only was he prime minister in WWII but he made the minimum wage.

[MaximiIian]

Who was your country's greatest hero?

George Washington. Amazing fighter and leader, though not necessarily good as a general. Hew was reportedy the premier swordsman, rider, and dancer of the time.