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<P>I imagine I'll catch some flack for this but here are my thoughts on the subject.</P>
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<P>I really don't feel that we should be called heroes. We are all Americans, fighting in the forces which guard our country and our way of life. But we aren't something that exists above the rest of America. We all made a choice to join the armed forces, even that doesnt serperate up from the rest of the people. There are countless civilians that would love for the oppourtunity to serve but are unable to due physical limitations or what have you. Also, I dont think there are many Americans that wouldn't defend our great nation if it were to be accosted by another force. I always feel uncomfortable when someone calls me a "hero". I made the descision to serve, not because i'm better than anyone else, but because I wanted to help ensure that the values detailed in our constitution for all of us to embrace and enjoy should be protected. If anything the we should be called Role Models, but not heroes. Now please don't mistake me for calling people who have died for our county and their Soldiers arent something special. Even within our own community there are some that might hesitate to jump on the grenade. But those who have, I look up to as something that should be strived for. Someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for others and their nation is, to me, the epitome of a role model. Heroes exist in comic books and novels, they are based on fantasy and have super human powers. We do not, we just have a passion for service and made a choice to tackle the hard choices so others dont have to.</P>
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<P>Just what i have been thinking about for a while and wondered what all of you thought about the subject.</P>
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<P>I really don't feel that we should be called heroes. We are all Americans, fighting in the forces which guard our country and our way of life. But we aren't something that exists above the rest of America. We all made a choice to join the armed forces, even that doesnt serperate up from the rest of the people. There are countless civilians that would love for the oppourtunity to serve but are unable to due physical limitations or what have you. Also, I dont think there are many Americans that wouldn't defend our great nation if it were to be accosted by another force. I always feel uncomfortable when someone calls me a "hero". I made the descision to serve, not because i'm better than anyone else, but because I wanted to help ensure that the values detailed in our constitution for all of us to embrace and enjoy should be protected. If anything the we should be called Role Models, but not heroes. Now please don't mistake me for calling people who have died for our county and their Soldiers arent something special. Even within our own community there are some that might hesitate to jump on the grenade. But those who have, I look up to as something that should be strived for. Someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for others and their nation is, to me, the epitome of a role model. Heroes exist in comic books and novels, they are based on fantasy and have super human powers. We do not, we just have a passion for service and made a choice to tackle the hard choices so others dont have to.</P>
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<P>Just what i have been thinking about for a while and wondered what all of you thought about the subject.</P>
Selfless Service
Heroes
Role Model
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 10
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This is a difficult subject to field, much more so for us who serve. If you asked my grandfather who is a WWII vet, He would say no he is not a hero, but if you ask the 20-30 men he saved when his ship was hit by a kamakazi, They would disagree. Many veterans of WWII say they we just doing thier job, As we say now, but the populace dictates us as heros. It is not what you feel of yourself, it is how you are percieved from the populous. You may feel like you just did your job, but to those who have not and will not serve, you are a hero to them, because you chose to stand up and fight for this country. Where they do not have the fortitute to do so. So in essence reguardless of what you have or have not done, you are a combat veteran and a hero to those people, and nothing will change thier minds. Be happy, because I am sure our brothers and sister of the Vietnam era will tell you, it is better to be thought of as a hero than to return to what they had to endure.
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WO1 (Join to see)
Sergeant Major, my uncle has told few stories about Vietnam, but the few that he did tell definitely opened my eyes to what was going on at that point in time, and I couldn't agree with you more.
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MSgt Mike Brown; MBTI-CP; MA, Ph.D.
Well written Sergeant Major! Thank you for your keen insight, and reminding us of how our Nation's Vietnam Veterans were treated!!!
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If you've earned the title, sure. Having said that, I don't believe signing a sheet of paper is heroic. Saving a burning bus full of children, jumping on a grenade to save your buddies, risking your life in a firefight, running into a burning building to save a child, THESE are examples of heroics. Just being in the military does not make you a hero. Performing a heroic action while in the military (or anywhere) DOES.
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<p>I am not opposed to the community thinking of us as either role models or heroes. As for me, after 27 years active service, 5 deployments, encountering some people who wanted to kill me a few times (in Iraq, not family or coworkers), i do not consider myself a hero.</p><p> </p><p>My pet peeve is when our military goes out in public and just because we finished basic training, AIT, and are doing our job, behave as if the community owed us the world. </p><p> </p><p>News flash, <strong>they do not</strong>.</p><p> </p><p>Our young Officers, Soldiers and NCOs need to learn to be humble, gracious, and appreciative of the freedoms that we have, that our predecesors and we ourselves have fought to have and to keep, and the courtesies that our community affords us. Let us not forget that our brothers and sisters from previous conflicts have not being as lucky.</p><p> </p><p>Learn to say thank you. Learn to be polite in public. Learn to represent our military with dignity and respect. Treat our communities and each other with dignity and respect, and that would be a nice first step in the right direction.</p>
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