Many of us have personal heroes, whether they’re parents or grandparents, teachers or coaches, historical figures, political leaders, athletes, or artists. While our heroes inspire us in many different ways and for many different reasons, our admiration of them usually boils down to certain virtues, particular traits that provide examples toward which we can aspire. In short, we admire our heroes for their character. And for some of us, our heroes embody “character” in a different way: they are fictional characters rather than real people, creations of writers, artists, or actors who fill them with inspiring qualities. As a longtime comics fan, I find inspiration in many of the superheroes whose adventures I read every month, but none inspire me as much as Captain America. Simply put, to me, Cap stands as an example of the best we can be. He embodies all of the classical virtues that are just as important now as they were in the days of the ancient Greeks, including honesty, courage, loyalty, perseverance, and, perhaps most importantly, honor (in particular, military honor). While I can’t be as strong or fast as Cap, I can hope to be as honest, courageous, and honorable. Rather than go into a lengthy philosophical diatribe—my students pay a lot of money for that, you know—I’ll just give some examples from the comics to show you what I mean. - See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/what-captain-america-means-to-me/#sthash.4f1xk0sn.dpuf