Troops not served well by perpetuating hero myth

[struggle4progress]

On Nov. 11, Armistice Day, now called Veterans Day, members of Veterans for Peace erected and managed the somber display representing American soldiers killed in the illegal invasions/occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We erected over 4,300 tombstones (in Olbrich Park) so that people can comprehend the magnitude of this tragedy and reflect upon its meaning," project co-chair Richard Chamberlin said ...

The scope of the tragedy expands exponentially when considering the defenseless civilians killed by our troops. It would require over 250 times more tombstones than were displayed. Our dead were, unwittingly or not, involved in that slaughter. So they're not heroes. In fact, they were victims in multiple ways. And when we parrot the media hype about "fallen heroes," we perpetuate victimization by promoting the continuation of the slaughter ...

Elton Tylenda of Madison is a teacher, writer and combat veteran of Vietnam and is a member of the Madison chapter of Veterans for Peace.

http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/260403

[aquart]

1. Defending a nation is heroic. Invading one, not so much.

[DavidDvorkin]

2. Defending isn't always heroic, either

Nazi Germany.

German soldiers may well have acted heroically while defending their homeland. I'm sure many did. For that many, I'm sure there were acts of battlefield heroism by German soldiers during their various invasions. Nonetheless, we don't think of them as heroes as defenders or aggressors.

[provis99]

3. Its a sign of the glorification of war for war's sake

when everybody who served in the military in any capacity these days is labeled a "hero". After all, if everyone in the wartime military is a "hero", the war must be a righteous one, right?

[rAVES]

4. I guess 1.2 million Headstones for the Iraqis would be asking to much...

[BridgeTheGap]

5. John Kerry's response to Sam Fox's "hero" label

Sam Fox: "And, Senator Kerry, I very much respect your dedicated service to this country. I know that you were not drafted -- you volunteered. You went to Vietnam. You were wounded. Highly decorated. Senator, you're a hero. And there isn’t anybody or anything that's going to take that away from you."

Sen. John Kerry: ...Mr. Fox, and I'm not looking for anyone to call me a hero. I think that most heroes died, and do die..."

http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2007/02/kerry-versus-swift-boat-benefactor.html

[sinkingfeeling]

6. "Hero" has become one of those words so over-used that it's lost its meaning. Our

local news stations call any military person a 'hero'. Their recent campaign to mail Christmas packages constantly called for us to 'support our local heroes'. I think my uncles would have died of embarrassment had they been called 'heroes' for the their service in WWII.

'Hero' used to be reserved for someone who without regard to their own well-being, performed a miraculous feat to save someone or something else.

[classysassy]

7. Hero

I served for 23 years,I don't consider myself a hero.