Iraq Vet Commits [Insert Preferred Crime Here]

Once again we are being treated to sensationalized accounts of returning Veterans that may run afoul of the law. Just like during the Viet Nam era, the media spares no effort at informing us when a Veteran may have crossed the line.

As a Fox News fan I thought they would prove their motto of “Fair and Balanced” by rising above this or at least balancing reports with articles of good that returning Veterans also may do.

Clicking on the Fox News Home Page this morning, in their Latest News section, on the lower right, we see the headline, “Manhunt for Iraq Vet Who Killed Sheriff's Deputy,” concerning a report of Police seeking a suspect out of Lenoir, N.C. wanted for the killing of a Deputy Sheriff.

Within the brief article we read, “Officials searching for the suspect said they believed he had worked as a law officer in South Carolina and served in the U.S. Army in Iraq.”

The actual headline from the article makes no mention of his possibly being an Iraq Vet, as does the link on the Home Page.

As a Viet Nam Veteran myself, I recall the shoddy reports of us upon and ongoing after our return to the United States. In fact, months ago I partially touched on this in my blog post, Veterans, Warriors and Heroes, not Victims.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I do not feel that we Veterans are insulated from wrongdoing; we are not. Every segment of society has some who, for whatever reason, violate the law and commit criminal acts, up to and including murder.

But, as we saw in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, including a plethora of cinematic excursions in fantasies continuing the Myth of the Deranged Veteran, society was taught to largely distrust those who once stood between them and America’s enemies.

This small article on Fox News is newsworthy, but it is ‘Nationally’ newsworthy? By adding “Iraq Vet” to their link to the story, they have made a local crime National News.

As before what is missing are every day stories of the multitude of good accomplished by the Brave Warriors, both in theater and after their return. Somehow, those stories never seem newsworthy enough to make National News, although they happen on a daily basis across the nation.

Reader’s Digest has treated us to several accounts over the years of Veterans who stepped forward at auto accidents or other events and saved lives in the “Every day Heroes” section of their magazines, including the compassionate rescue of a dog from Iraq.

Somehow, we don’t see national Headlines of “Veteran Saves Lives at Accident,” or “Veteran Rescues Dog.” We only see headlines, sometimes misleading headlines, when a returning Veteran is accused of criminal activity, which ultimately becomes linked to their tour of duty, directly or indirectly.

I have come to expect this sort of one-sided reporting from National News outlets like the New York Times and the alphabet networks, ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN. They lean towards “victimizing Veterans, portraying us as hapless victims struggling to return to society.

News reporting is a business; we know that. They must make a profit too to stay in business. Sensationalizing headlines does draw people to their site.

But, how about some of that “Balance” they brag about? How about some stories of the heroics by our Brave Troops? How about some recognition for the sacrifices made by the Troops and their families?

Above all, how about stories, true stories, from around the country of the every day heroics these returning Heroes perform that greatly enhance our society? Surely Reader’s Digest cannot be the only source of these valuable accounts?

It’s the least we can do for those who have willingly placed them selves between the most barbaric and bloodthirsty enemy we have ever faced and us.

Not near as important, but just as frustrating, the portrayal of returning heroes on TV is just as bad. Since I’m not working now, my soaps are portraying these guys as nuts, murderers, etc. I use to work in daytime TV and I know some of the producers and boy, I’m gonna let them know how wrong this is. Nighttime TV is just as bad.

3 posted on 09/21/2008 12:35:50 PM PDT by peggybac (Tolerance is the virtue of believing in nothing)

What little TV I saw in the U.S. between Viet Nam and Germany portrayed much the same. Cop shows especially seemed to gravitate to the “deranged Veteran” frequently as the villain.

Then as now, positive depictions of Veterans were difficult to find.

4 posted on 09/21/2008 12:56:08 PM PDT by DakotaRed (Don't you wish you had supported a conservative when you had the chance?)

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