Captain's Heroism A Beacon For Americans

(CBS)  It's dusk. The winds have begun to pick up and the seas have responded in kind. You're one of the people with their sights trained on a life boat bobbing up and down about 80 feet away.

The American on board the life boat heroically gave himself up to his captors so his crew and his ship could go free. The standoff has gone on for several days - patience is not plentiful. The White House says if the captain's life is threatened, use deadly force.

And suddenly all three pirates are visible to the snipers, and one pirate has his gun at Capt. Phillips' back. Seconds later, the three pirates are dead. Training, skill, luck and guts brought the drama on the high seas to an end.

And we wake up to a military that did its job flawlessly. And a merchant captain who acted in a way no American CEO could fathom.

Capt. Richard Phillips' selflessness has us all in awe.

By Harry Smith