Los Angeles Times columnist Rosa Brooks says the “insipid” worshiping of soldiers and police officers for doing their duty has gotten out of control. She writes, “Once upon a time, you had to do something truly exceptional to qualify as a full-fledged hero: single-handedly hold off a battalion of enemy soldiers to allow your platoon to escape, or rescue 100 children from a Nazi concentration camp. But today, just showing up at your Army recruiting station makes you an instant hero — and getting yourself hurt or killed doubles your heroism, even if you were sound asleep when your supply convoy went over an IED.”
Brooks continues, “I respect the service and sacrifice of the troops. It takes guts to volunteer for the military. Injured service members deserve top-quality care, and the families of those killed deserve our deepest compassion. Soldiers, firefighters, police and many others accept risk and privation to serve the public, and we should be grateful. But it’s a big mistake to mix up the idea of service — or the idea of sacrifice and suffering — with the idea of heroism.”
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks3aug03,0,3406790.column?coll=la-home-commentary