Bill, I think all of us who have been in combat tend to cringe at the way our contemporary society has dumbed down the term, "hero." To media wimps who would crap their pants at the thought of being shot at at, anyone who dons a uniform is a "hero."

To those who have been in combat, the term, "hero," is not used lightly, is in fact reserved for those who are truly deserving of that honor as is pointed out in this piece in the LA Times:

Extraordinary acts of valor
For a soldier, going to war is a duty. Heroes go much further.
By Phillip Carter

COMING HOME from a combat zone is an alienating experience. America's deepening civil-military divide crystallized for me two weeks after I had returned from Iraq, while sitting at a Starbucks in the San Fernando Valley. I looked around the cafe and saw a dozen people ordering coffee, talking, reading and studying, while the baristas were busily serving drinks. All of a sudden, it hit me. Even though we are a nation at war, the war does not really seem to exist here in America.

Frequently over the last two months, my friends have referred to me and other veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan as "heroes." This has disturbed me a great deal, forming another sort of alienation that is likely to become particularly acute this Veterans Day. American society venerates all soldiers as heroes, yet we in the military reserve that label for those who truly go above and beyond the call of duty. To us, the ordinary soldiers who merely served in harm's way, the label feels like a garish shirt — it neither describes us well nor fits us comfortably. ...

Never thought I'd be praising the wisdom of a lawyer but, what the hell, he is a fellow Screaming Eagle.

Regards,
Russ

Contributed by Bill Faith on November 14, 2006 at 06:27 PM in Bill Faith, Russ Vaughn, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy | Permalink

Comments

Posted by: Rurik

If you're saying that having the right device on your right shoulder can atone even for being a lawyer - I completely agree.
And another thing - poor suffering victims are NOT heros, they're victims, DAMMIT.

Posted by: Rurik | Nov 15, 2006 11:44:54 PM

Post a comment

Comments accept simple HTML for formatting and linking.

Comments are moderated and may not appear on the site immediately. Comments in violation of our comment policy will never appear on the site.

TrackBacks

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451e4ed69e200e5506f46768833

Trackbacks are moderated and do not appear immediately. Trackbacks from posts that do not link to this post will be deleted and will never be visible here.

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Russ Vaughn: Heroes: