The world is mourning the tragic death of Corey Comperatore, a volunteer fireman and family man who was gunned down at former President Trump’s campaign rally on Saturday in Pennsylvania.

A bullet intended for the 45^th president struck the head of Comperatore, who had thrown himself over his wife and daughters, acting as a literal human shield.

Calling him a “real-life superhero,” one of the heartbroken daughters, Allyson Comperatore, remembered her father as “the best dad a girl could ask for.”

“He threw my mom and I to the ground,” she wrote on social media. “He shielded my body from the bullet that came at us. He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us. And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you. I want nothing more than to wake up and for this to not be reality for me and my family.”

Corey, who was married to Helen, was blessed with two daughters, Allyson, 27, and Kaylee, 24.

Corey Comperatore is being remembered as a great husband and father, a church goer, dedicated and talented project and tooling engineer at a manufacturing company, and a loyal friend and sportsman who loved to fish and refused to purchase any seafood, preferring the thrill of the catch.

On Sunday, Allyson referred to her dad as “a man of God, [who] loved Jesus fiercely, and also looked after our church and our members as family.”

It would be impossible to overstate the devastation wrought by this heinous act, crushing the hopes and dreams of a family, forever altering the trajectory of everyone involved. It’s one thing to lose a husband and father, but it’s magnified when your loved one is murdered in a grandstand during a political rally.

The family is rightly taking solace in the fact their husband and father died a hero, his last selfless act being the one to shield them from the fate that took his own life.

Much has been said in recent years about so-called toxic or traditional masculinity, the idea that men are uniquely gifted and equipped to protect and lead. Radicals believe that manhood’s distinctiveness is an unhealthy thing, that whatever men can do, women can and should do also.

It’s one of the many lies tossed about, ignoring and denying how God uniquely created the two sexes to complement one another.

Healthy masculinity, which was on full display on that Pennsylvania farm on Saturday, stabilizes the family and serves the greater good of the community. It sacrifices convenience and prioritizes others’ needs over one’s own.

Corey Comperatore modeled healthy masculinity by loving God, his family and friends, his country, his employer – and his community. As a volunteer for nearly three decades with the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, he also served as its chief for three years. He didn’t shy away from running into danger when everyone else was running out.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who ordered all flags flown at half-staff, said on Sunday, “Corey was the very best of us. May his memory be a blessing.”

We mourn and grieve the loss of Mr. Comperatore and pray for his family. We also pray that his heroic final act will serve to inspire and embolden other men to lean into their God-given roles as protectors and providers.

Image credit: the Comperatore family