Sunday, July 06, 2008

Soldiers are Heroes?

You can't question it. At a ballgame, returning soldiers receive an exponentially louder cheer than any game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth. Humans breathe air. Soldiers are heroes. But why is that?

The assumption that soldiers are heroic (because they are fighting for our freedom) is meant to legitimize their (needless) sacrifice. Regardless of the nobility of the cause, war is hell. But these people are heroes, so we can ignore the unimaginable that they have experienced; they're heroes, they can deal with it.

The reality is that soldiers are not heroes. They are victims. Whether they joined the military voluntarily or were forced, they could not have known what war is like. They are victims of the endless tragedies they witness and take part in. They are ordinary people put in situations that no human should have to endure. Bash this baby's head in. Hold your best friend in your hands as his guts leak into your lap. See the anguish on the face of the young woman you raped every time you close your eyes. No cause is worth forcing humans to have to cope with any of that.

War is hell. We forget that.
War is worse than going to the dentist on three consecutive days.
War is worse than eating a raw leaf of lettuce.
War is worse than paying $4.24 for a gallon of gas.
War is worse than getting dumped.
War is worse than the Panera Bread running out of bread.
War is worse than not seeing the inside of the Washington Monument.
War is worse than Elijah Dukes' injury.

No, soldiers aren't heroes. They are people. We should learn to treat them for what they are.

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