What's the difference between a hero and a role model?

“You’re my hero!” I interpret this to mean that the person referred to is someone they want to emulate—i.e., it is synonymous with “role model.” Is that all? Doesn’t heroism mean something more? What does it mean when you claim a hero as your own?

I am used to thinking of heros in the Campbellian way—as the main protagonist in the story. It is a person who travels on the path of the hero’s journey; who overcomes multiple obstacles, and eventually achieves what he or she set out to achieve allowing him or her to come home with a boon for the community.

In this way, it is a template for stories. It is also a filter that people use to view their own lives. Our lives are continuous, but when we talk about them, we have to choose beginning points and ending points. In between, we are the heros of our lives and this story is the story of our heroic journeys.

Somehow, having someone specific as a hero seems like it is in a different category, and it should mean more than “role model,” but does it? Do you have people you consider to be “your hero” in life? Why did you choose them as your hero? What does it mean when you claim them as your hero?