Paris who? Bird museum knows real heroes

Our idea of what constitutes a hero is really messed up.

Who are your heroes?

Ask just about anybody who Paris Hilton is and most people could tell you. But what has she done to better the world?

What about Tony Hawk? Nickelback? Tom Cruise? Rush Limbaugh? Geraldo Rivera? These are all recognizable names to somebody. Again, what have these people done that will have any lasting impact?

Why do these celebrity types rise to hero status when they really haven't done anything?

Here are some other names for you to ponder.

? Dr. John Grunsfeld. What did he do? He's an astronaut. A veteran of four space shuttle flights, STS-67 (1995), STS-81 (1997), STS-103 (1999) and STS-109 (2002), Dr. Grunsfeld has logged over 45 days in space, including five space walks totaling 37 hours and 32 minutes.

There's a hero.

? Frank J. Cepollina. What did he do? He helped design the Hubble Space Telescope.

? Dr. Forrest Bird. What did he do? He invested a respirator/ventilator that has saved thousands of lives and continues to do so.

He's a hero.

On July 7, the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center will open to the public. On display will be many of Dr. Bird's inventions as well as 21 airplanes from Dr. and Pam Bird's collection.

The heroes mentioned above will also be there — along with many more.

It's high time this country begins to realize who the real heroes are. The Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center intends to do just that beginning July 7.

Keep reading the Bee as the opening day gets closer and my bet is to more you know about real heroes, the less you will care about Paris Hilton.

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.