Exactly! There are many heroes in the military who go through hell and back to protect their country and save their fellow men. Those are the ones who deserve the title of a hero. To call every soldier or veteran a hero makes the word "hero" lose its meaning.
A) Many people enter the military as a matter of necessity. They need the money, a place to stay, the education offered, etc. that doesn't make them bad people, they just have motives other than helping their country to serve.
B) There are several different roles in the military, some of which don't require risking your life, like doing paperwork or loading supplies into vehicles.
C) Most importantly, just because a person is enrolled in the military, doesn't mean they're a good person. There is murderers (of people not involved in military combat), rapists, con artists, and every other sort of evil human being in the military. Some soldiers are scum. It's the truth.
While there are many amazing heroes in the military, it can't just be assumed that everyone who serves is a hero. That's all I'm trying to say.
I can vouch for the 'not being a good person' thing. I'm joining the Marines, and honestly, my recruiter is an asshole. He's been divorced twice because he's gone on deployments and cheated on his wives. He even has a kid from one of the affairs. I don't like him because he isn't respectful to me or my parents. While he isn't a rapist or a murder, I definitely don't look up to him the same way I would to other Marines.
Calling everyone who served a hero does nothing but lower our standard for what a hero should be.
Exactly! There are many heroes in the military who go through hell and back to protect their country and save their fellow men. Those are the ones who deserve the title of a hero. To call every soldier or veteran a hero makes the word "hero" lose its meaning.
I agree with you on the hero part, but every person who at one point in the past served in the military is by definition a veteran.
Bradley Manning is a hero.
Well, here are a few reasons:
A) Many people enter the military as a matter of necessity. They need the money, a place to stay, the education offered, etc. that doesn't make them bad people, they just have motives other than helping their country to serve.
B) There are several different roles in the military, some of which don't require risking your life, like doing paperwork or loading supplies into vehicles.
C) Most importantly, just because a person is enrolled in the military, doesn't mean they're a good person. There is murderers (of people not involved in military combat), rapists, con artists, and every other sort of evil human being in the military. Some soldiers are scum. It's the truth.
While there are many amazing heroes in the military, it can't just be assumed that everyone who serves is a hero. That's all I'm trying to say.
I can vouch for the 'not being a good person' thing. I'm joining the Marines, and honestly, my recruiter is an asshole. He's been divorced twice because he's gone on deployments and cheated on his wives. He even has a kid from one of the affairs. I don't like him because he isn't respectful to me or my parents. While he isn't a rapist or a murder, I definitely don't look up to him the same way I would to other Marines.
this made me think of Tim Poe.