History is full of names like Jesús Corona, Alfred Vanderbilt, and Todd Beamer. And, on this National Ultimate Sacrifice Day, we want to take a moment to remember some of their acts of heroism that resulted in the lives of others being saved at the expense of their own.
Jesús Garcia Corona worked for the Moctezuma Copper Company in Placeritos de Nacozari in the Mexican state of Sonora. He had worked his way up in the company to the position of railroad engineer.
Placeritos de Nacozari housed about 5,000 residents, many of whom were miners for the copper company. On November 7, 1907, while enjoying a siesta, Jesús noticed that the boxcars containing dynamite had smoke rolling from them. A spark from a failing smokebox on the train had ignited the cars. The inevitable explosion would level the town!
Without thought for his own life, Jesús jumped onto the locomotive and at full steam, drove the train backwards out of town and downhill. Nearly 3 ¾ miles outside of town, the inevitable happened. A town was saved but the life of Jesús Garcia Corona was gone. His sacrifice was honored through the years with statues and celebrations. Placeritos de Nacozari was renamed Nacozari de García.
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt was an American businessman who was entrusted with great responsibilities upon the untimely death of his father. He became head of a financial empire at the age of 21, just a month shy of his 22nd birthday. He became the director of several railroad companies and banking institutions. To say that this was a prominent man is an understatement.
On May 7, 1915, while aboard the cruise ship RMS Lusitania, the ship was hit by a torpedo fired from a German U-20. His status could have easily gotten him one of the first spots on a lifeboat. Instead, he made sure others were safely in the lifeboats. He gave up his lifejacket to a small child and he spent the 18 minutes from the time the ship was hit until it was finally sunk guiding women and children to places of safety. His body was never recovered.
Todd Beamer is a name that became famous on September 11, 2001. This is a date Americans will never forget as we came under terrorist attack in our own nation.
United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757, was occupied with 33 passengers, seven crew-
members and four hijackers whose mission was unknown at takeoff. The flight left Newark International Airport in New Jersey at 8:42 a.m. At 9:28, the hijackers breached the cockpit and took control of the plane. By 9:34 while in Cleveland, Ohio airspace, the flight turns and starts heading northeast, presumably headed for Washington, D.C.
Todd Beamer was on board for a business trip. When the hijacking began, Todd began getting a consensus from the others on board that they had to do something. He led a revolt from the passengers and crew beginning at 9:57 and by 10:03:10, the plane crashed into an empty field in Stonycreek, Pennsylvania. They were only 20 flying minutes away from D.C. An incalculable number of lives were saved at the expense of 40 passengers and crew led by Todd Beamer.
Throughout history, there are many more stories of individuals who gave their lives for others. Memorial Day honors those soldiers who gave their lives in the defense of our nation. October 28th is National First Responders Day and it remembers the 
commitment of the first responders who gave their all. But today is when civilians with the spirit of a soldier or first responder are honored for their ultimate sacrifice.
Take a moment and really ponder the words of Romans 5:6-8. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. (8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The verses acknowledge that there will be those who will sacrifice themselves. But the tendency is to sacrifice for that which is good: a person, an ideal, a place.
Jesus came and gave the ultimate sacrifice for the wicked. Todd Beamer tried to save the good by taking down the bad. Jesus came to rescue the bad. He came to save the hijackers and terrorists from their sins. He came to save the Germans who would open fire on a ship carrying civilians. He came to save every wicked person – which is all of humanity.
Jesus should be honored above all on this day of ultimate sacrifice. He is the One who gave His life for the most.
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