[F16Fighter]

"No Peggy. Stop inflating the meaning of the word 'Hero'. Medals only for those who were killed or injured trying to save lives other than their own, or who were killed trying to kill the terrorists."

Here, here...

I love Peggy Noonan, but this kind of of broad-sweeping definition of 'hero' and medal bestowment like they were M&Ms does cheapen their meaning.

Whatever happened to a simply pat on the back, and "Thank-you -- job well done..." as acknowledgement of gratitude for duty and an assumed patriotism?

[TontoKowalski]

Hmmm. I have to agree. I'm a big, big Peggy Noonan fan, but she totally missed the mark on this one. This does not rate as one of her finer efforts, not by a long shot.

The President's first round of medals to go to genuine heroes, those who risked, and some who lost, their lives in defending the country on 9/11.

The civilian medal also honors those who made significant, non-heroic contributions to the country, and most of the list fits that category. Without arguing the merits of the individuals listed, they should at least wait till after the real heroes get their due.

Still, she does write beautifully. The paragraph on Mike Moran certainly brought a smile to my face. "...I suspect it wasn't sober...always nice to give a nod to royalty."