Small Fights; Large Love

It's the little battles. The small, usually unnoticed, personal fights a dad takes on for his children are the ones that speak loudest of love.

Among standard-bearers are Brit Fonz Chamberlain, who struggled with his depression in order to keep raising money for charity after having seen his son John, now 13, saved by a heart operation days after birth. There is also Ron Werstler, smacking wood with his hand for the entertainment of others and in order to raise money for double lung transplants to help kids including his 11-year-old son Brandon, who all suffer from Cystic Fibrosis. And finally, at least for now, we salute vet Louis Haros, who has been under increasing phone and personal pressure to take down the now-tattered American flag he has flown over his house. He promised his son it would fly until he returned from Iraq and while that will, hopefully, be soon, it hasn't happened yet. The flag still waves; the faher still faces the verbal shots of those who want to see the red, white and blue threads come down.

Each and others are small acts of defiance by fathers and large proclamations of their love.