Chris Hayes is not blaming the soldiers for bad policy. He is not blaming them for anything. He is just stating the awful truth that most people don't have the guts to say... that dying in Iraq, in and of itself, does not make that soldier a hero. That soldier did not die for our freedom. Iraq had nothing to do with our freedom. In fact, the Iraq War made us less free and less safe. That soldier was a tragic victim of a senseless war, not a hero, absent some other circumstances such as valiantly saving his buddies in battle, or other "above and beyond" type action. The problem with calling all soldiers heroes is that it implies all of them are doing heroic things. That was Chris Hayes' point. There's nothing heroic about dropping bombs on civilians from 10,000 feet, or invading a country that did not attack us. The Iraq vets were not defending us from anyone.
Yes, you should always thank a vet for their service. Yes, vets did volunteer to serve their country and they are brave. But many did so because the bottom has dropped out from under the middle class. A lot of these kids had no other opportunities, no ability to go to college. All they had to look forward to, at best, is a minimum wage job with no benefits. So they took their chances in hopes that a "career" in the military will at least give them dignity, medical benefits and a pension. Unfortunately, those benefits are often woefully inadequate if you are wounded, especially when it comes to brain injuries.
Which also underscores that most Americans appear to agree with Chris Hayes. Most Americans may pay lip service to vets by calling them heroes, but they appear to not believe it since they do not treat vets as such. They forget them when they are over there fighting, and ignore them when they come home. Vets are left to beg for help and treatment, often ending up homeless or victims of suicide. Vets can't get hired because these same American's who call them heroes won't hire them for fear of PTSD issues.
I am sick of the faux outrage. I am even more sick of the inadequate care our vets get. If those outraged people really gave a darn about these vets, they would reserve their anger for the war mongers who wasted these brave kids on a senseless war, then left them with an inadequate safety net--if they were lucky enough to make it back home at all.
I will grant you that Memorial Day is not the best time to pick for airing such thoughts. If my loved one died in Iraq, I would like to think he or she died a hero, actually defending our country, like our grandfathers did in WWII. Believing that may be what it takes to keep from falling apart, and I can see how it may be insensitive to raise these issues under certain circumstances.
However, there are those who can handle the truth, and try to change things so no more kids are sent to die needlessly. Cindy Sheehan comes to mind. Yes, the truth hurts. But the truth will also set you free.
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