Sometimes America seems like an ugly place to live, and then someone comes along to prove it's okay to be an American. And, that someone is Captain Richard Phillips. A 53-year old husband, father, and career merchant seaman. When heavily armed teenage pirates commandeered his container ship, the Maersk Alabama, off the coast of Somalia and demanded $2 million ransom, Captain Phillips ordered his 19-man crew to lock themselves in their cabins and he volunteered to be the pirates' victim. That is a hero, just like "Sully" who safely landed a plane full of passengers in the Hudson River. Phillips spent 5 days in a cramped, hot boat with nervous teenage pirates who were armed to the hilt and scared of loosing that $2 million ransom. Navy SEAL sharpshooters, trained to shoot from unstable platforms finally brought the hostage situation to a close. And, the first thing that Captain Phillips had to say about his situation was "The real heroes are the Navy, the SEALs, those who have brought me home." In a day when the title "hero" is misapplied to movie stars and big-league athletes, it's humbling to be exposed to the real deal. Yes, friends the military is not the bad guy, they really are heroes. And Captain Phillips is more than the sum of the parts of his captivity and rescue. He personifies the best of who we, Americans, are.