Oprah & People Magazine Salute Headline-Making Heroes of 2009

With great respect, as a mother of one of the returning 82nd Airborne solidiers who attended the homecoming ceremony featured in today's show, I felt that these heros were severely under-represented on your show. The other segments were great... showing personal glimplses, actual success stories, and human figures. Aside from photo's of brief family reunions and one or two clips of "I'm waiting for (my husband, dad etc), there was not one single story which related anything that these men and women did in Iraq during their entire deployment. Not one triumph of human spirit...not one expreession of agony at the loss of two of their fellow unit solidiers who were killed in action during the year. I can tell you that they supplied schools and hospitals; that they made peace between local leaders in an area of Baghdad rife with sectarian mistrust and violence; that they trained Iraqi police and army to take over their own security responsibilities; that they captured some of the biggest weapons caches since the end of active combat; and they captured or eliminated some of the lead insurgents fomenting anarchy in that struglling democracy. Hero's, yes, all 3000 plus of them. Again, I felt that your segment on these hero's actions was an afterthought compared to the stories developed for the others. Perhaps, even, something you "thought you should do" without devoting the time to do it well. Had I not seen the lead in, I might have thought this was a report of a Wynonna Judd performance and meeting with some of our troops - ending with a promo of her new CD. Yes, all on the show are hero's in their own right, but the 82nd Airborne 3rd Brigade Combat Team are my hero's for 2009. I wish you would have spent less time showing their entertainment and more time their accomplishments. Sincerely, Sandra

Hi Andrade05, I commend you for trying to keep your babes innocent from the hardships of the world. I would say from your message that you should shut off the news. I did this over a month ago & it has helped lift my spirits so much. Not trying to be an ostrich with my head in the sand but I already KNOW that the boogeymen exist out there & dont need the gorey details. I went through an actual withdrawal of sorts in the beginning but now its like what tv. You will be out of the loop at work too but I really dont care because I'm in such a better mood. If the news programs would show more news of people actually helping others & less about the boogeymen stories, I think there would be less depression. I know I feel better & my loved one & myself communicate more, play more, just enjoy each other more without the "noise". Good luck with finding work. I'll pray for you. Maggie

Although Capt. Sullenberger, his crew and the first responders are by far the biggest heroes of 2009, as a fellow postal employee, I would like to bring attention to the letter carriers as everyday heroes. I was very proud to see the letter carriers honored on the show today, but acts such as those of these carriers are not rare occurances. We have a section in our daily online postal newsletter called "Heroes Corner" and every day there is a story of letter carriers and postal employees who go above and beyond to assist and save the lives and property of customers on their routes. The most common occurance is when a letter carrier notices that an elderly customer hasn't collected their mail for a few days. They notify neighbors, relatives or authorities who usually find the customer has fallen and has been unable to seek help. There have been stories of carriers being the first to notice smoke or fire coming from homes and other buildings and calling 911. Some have even kept the fires at bay using garden hoses until the fire department arrives. They help children who are lost, people who have been in car accidents, people who have fallen on slippery sidewalks, and help catch thieves breaking into homes. After lending their assistance, the carriers complete the remainder of their routes. Many of these acts go unnoticed unless the customer or their relatives contact the post office to thank the carrier. Even though the U.S. Postal Service is going through some trying financial times as more and more people receive bills and statements online, pay bills online and communicate online, the service that the letter carriers provide to customers on their routes is priceless.

I stopped watching Oprah on a regular basis when she and Gail were speaking ignorantly about Pits one Friday about a year ago, saying things like, "Pits are a vicious, dangerous breed." I thought with all the Pit lovers that reacted to her and Gails IGNORANCE, she probably learned her lesson by now. And SURELY, after the hamburger legal suit, by NOW, she MUST know that what she says on her show has a HUGE influence on the public! Yet today, she AGAIN showed her bias against Pits, when she kept STRESSING that the dog who attacked the postal person was a Pit. Never mind that STATISTICS say that the #1 DOG ATTACKS ARE COMITTED BY LABRADORS!

Oprah needs to have Tia Maria Tores on her show, to give her an education and OPEN HER MIND to the "vicious pit bulls." Tia has the Villalobos Pit bull Rescue Center, which is the largest Pit rescue group in the USA. There is a weekly show about her and her group called "Pit bulls and Parolees" every Friday night on Animal Planet. MANY celebs SUPPORT AND ADOPT from Villalobos Pit bull Rescue!

Pit used to be the #1 FAMILY DOG in America. The RCA dog was a Pit. "Petey" from "Our Gang" was a Pit. HELLEN KELLER HAD A PIT BULL AS HER MOST BELOVED PET DOG! The very REASON why criminals started to choose the Pit bull breed for fighting is BECAUSE they are SO NICE, and SO DEDICATED to their family, they are the only breed who is the most willing to GIVE THEIR LIFE TO PLEASE YOU. Pits are RARELY aggressive with people! Even dogs who were trained in the fighting ring to be aggressive to other dogs, are not vicious with people!!! Yet Oprah CONTINUES to have her BIGOTTED view of Pits, which is funny, because I don't think she would like it if someone viewed HER through a BIGOTTED EYE!

Pit bulls are the breed that has the highest kill rate at shelters across the country, due to their size and the ignorant prejudice of the breed. And when OPRAH expressed ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING, the result is MANYFOLD. So in other words, after she EXPRESSED her view of Pits, and expressed that IGNORANT,STEREOTYPE FEAR of them on Tuesday, you CAN BET that all over the country, this week, and for WEEKS TO COME, there will be A LOT MORE PITS GETTING NEEDLESSLY AND UNJUSTLY KILLED IN SHELTERS ALL OVER THE USA, DUE TO LACK OF ADOPTERS AND LACK OF SHELTER SPACE.

OPRAH NEEDS TO GET CESAR MILAN AND TIA MARIA TORES ON HER SHOW TO GIVE SHE AND HORSE-TOOTHED GAYLE AN EDUCATION ABOUT PITS, TO OPEN THEIR MINDS, AND AS A RESULT, SAVE MANY PIT BULLS LIVES ACROSS THE ENTIRE USA AND THE WORLD!

I will have to say the cheering squad the Sparklers has to be the most inspirational segment I have ever seen. I sat there in awe of these teens helping these girls. It gave me chills for at least 2 minutes. These girls are heroes to me, they should be so proud. What a wonderful idea!

The most extraordinary people of 2009 are all the soldiers who have been deployed overseas.

...I found that O has been 'more sincere' and not so rushed previously when dealing with others on her show...I found this interview to be...'rushed'...and she really did not 'connect' with some of her guests...seemed rushed....

good spaces

The show was very inspiring, loved the cheerleaders and the 2 helpers. As a DSP with disabilities, they are my second family, and keep me going back to my job, they are a true blessing from God.

Thank you for a wonderful show,

aries1956

WELL HONESTLY, I THINK THE HEROS WOULD BE THE SOILDERS, AIRMAN, MARINES AND SAILORS. I DONT SAY THIS ONLY BECAUSE IM A FEMALE WHO HAS RECENTLY SERVED A T OUR IN IRAQ, BUT BECAUSE I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUITY TO EXPERIENCE THE STRESSES OF BEING DEPLOYED AWAY FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR MONTHS AT A TIME AND IT IS SO HARD AND DEMANDING OF A PERSON.

DONT GET ME WRONG I AM HONORED TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY BUT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND HOW ALL THESE SINGERS RAPPERS ACTORS AND ETC RECIEVE ALL THIS MONEY AND RECOGNITION AND WE RISK OUR LIVES EVERYDAY, ALOT OF MOTHERS AND FATHERS MISSING THE LIVES OF THE CHILDREN AND MOST PEOPLE MENTALLY AFFECTED LONG TERM BECAUSE OF WHAT WE SEE WHEN WE ARE DEPLOYED.

SO WHEN I GIVE HONOR TO A HERO, I FIRST AND FOREMOST GIVE HONOR TO GOD FOR MY HEALTH AND HAPPINESS AND THEN I HONOR MY FELLOW AIRMAN, SOILDERS, MARINES AND SAILORS!!!!