Forging a new path

Tom Brokaw, the iconic television news personality, has spent decades covering some of the most pivotal moments and figures in history. Yet, when reflecting on the most memorable people he’s encountered, Brokaw turns not to the headlines or marquee names but to those who forged new paths with courage, selflessness, and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. His observations remind us that greatness often lies in quiet, unheralded acts of bravery and dedication.

Brokaw’s reflections celebrate the everyday heroes—those who sacrifice comfort, confront challenges, and step into the unknown guided by their moral compass. From civil rights activists and war protestors to doctors in war zones and conservationists in remote rainforests, these individuals prove that true heroism is rooted in action and responsibility. Their stories inspire us to consider how we, too, can forge paths that make a difference for others.

“When I am asked who are the most memorable personalities that I have encountered in more than 40 years of journalism, I expect that my interrogators think that I'm going to say Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, Golda Meier, Dr. Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, Lance Armstrong, Mia Hamm, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or any other number of big marquee names that make up the headlines of my career. But instead I recall for my interrogators the brave young people, black and white, who risked their lives demonstrating for fundamental civil rights in this country in the sixties and seventies.

“I remember well the young on this campus who fought against the war in Vietnam, but I also remember those who stepped forward when their country called and fought in that war. I have a vivid memory of a young American surgeon from a very poor family in the American Southwest who once he graduated from medical school and finished his residency in surgery with great debt behind him and ahead of him—he volunteered for Doctors Without Borders and I encountered him in a dimly lit tent in the middle of the night trying desperately to save still another victim of the anarchy in Somalia. I was in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and I remember the Chinese who stood up to their oppressors during that remarkable time. I've traveled the backroads of Tibet and met the lamas who risk their lives for their faith and their land. Wherever I go in the world, I'm in awe of biologists in remote rainforests who dedicate their lives in discomfort and obscurity to save this precious planet.

“The memorable people for me represent that vast population of young and old of every hue and origin who gave up comforts and convention to answer their conscience, who are guided by their moral compass to difficult challenges and who are determined to make a difference. They lived in the real world and they took responsibility for it. They did not attach themselves simply to a virtual experience and find satisfaction in a search engine. They were boots on the ground, hands in the dirt, nights in scary places, healing and courageous. They stepped into the unknown and they made it more welcoming for the rest of us.”

_{Source: Brokaw, Tom. Stanford University. Stanford, California. 18 June 2006. Commencement Address.}