Speaking as a retired veteran who remembers when people didn’t give a hoot about people in uniform I will say it’s very refreshing to see how our military people are treated today.
However, I do also cringe at the way the word hero is thrown around today. While I agree that anyone who puts on America’s uniform and agrees to go in harms way to defend our country and way of life is very honorable, I personally reserve hero for a select few.
Perhaps that is because I have met true heros during my military career. I will outline two of them, Ron Christmas retired from the Marine Corps a Lt General. He was the company commander of Hotel company, 2/5 during it’s assault on Hue City in Vietnam. This man took a grenade during that battle and won the Navy Cross for his actions in it (second highest award to the medal of honor). I remember seeing him PT with his troops and motivate them years after that terrible injury. The scar that goes down his face and his shrivelled up leg were no impediments as he urged his troops on by leading them on a run. I met Richard Pittman when I was a young NCO. At the time he was the only Medal of Honor winner still on active duty in the Marine Corps. No one would look at this humble unassuming man and think that he was a real life Rambo, charging into well emplaced enemy positions with an M-60 machine gun and taking them out.
These are just two of the men I have met that I would truly call heros. There are many out there, but I would agree with the author that not everyone that puts on the uniform deserves to be called a hero. I would reserve that honor for a select few.
Well said.