I’ve long thought the word “hero” is thrown around with little regard for context. It’s become as annoying as the overuse of the word “friend”. If everyone is your “friend” how good a friend can they be? That’s why we have the word “acquaintance”— you know the person, are perhaps familiar with them through social contact, but they are not within your circles of...friends.
I suppose it’s a form of grade inflation...or perhaps we use important words to describe someone as a form of flattery, all the while intending to get away with not paying them what we actually owe them.
Way back at the end of a misspent but extremely fascinating youth, I wound up at Mrs. Benning’s School for Wayward Boys. An old E-7 walked up to our group as we waited for the next “block of instruction” and asked “How many of you are willing to die for your country?”. We all raised our hands, of course. Then he said “Well, I sure as hell don’t want to go to war with any of you...the point of war is to make the other guy die for his country”.
He had a point. Few people have said so little and so completely rearranged my thinking on a topic.
A little later on in the training cycle, another crusty old sergeant major said “Purple hearts don’t win wars, boys, silver stars, DSCs, MOHs— that’s what wins wars.”
He was drawing a distinction between heroism and sacrifice.
So while a purple heart is a measure of sacrifice for the nation, what we owe them is a properly funded veterans medical system. Skip the “hero” label. Maybe they are, and maybe they aren’t— but if it happened on the battlefield, you don’t have any business asking. Shut up and pay for his (or these days, her) treatment.
In the meantime, how many of you can name a single Medal of Honor winner in the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts. I can’t— to my shame. The last MoH winner I can name is Roy Benevides, although I know the two Delta snipers got the medal for Somalia— can’t name them.
So Trump—as inartfully done as one can possibly imagine— has made a point that needs to percolate up to the top of the national discussion.
Exactly. The classic definition of heroism required a person taking action to resolve a situation for the greater good, in addition to requiring courage and bravery. Surviving in a prison camp does not make one a hero.) I do admire McCain for his perseverance and courage in that situation.
These days every soldier is labelled a hero. What word does that leave for those who display true acts of heroism?