Quote:
Originally Posted by Craven Morehead
They volunteered knowing this could be their fate. Stepping forward for whatever resason when one knows it could result in injury or death is heroic, in my opinion. In otherwords, they are all heros, dead or alive.
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I pretty much agree with this. However, I served and was deployed three times, yet I never saw combat action. In my opinion, the only ones who should be considered "hero's" are the ones who don't come home. The rest of us were simply doing our job.
The idea of service members getting paid as compensation disqualifies them from the hero tag to me, is unfounded. Yeah, they get paid, but unless you're an officer or you've been in for a few years, your salary is low enough, some with families are on food stamps. At least that's how it used to be. If you're joining the military for the pay, you're seriously delusional. Very, very few get to the point their even remotely wealthy. And those that do aren't the ones getting killed.
A service-member who gives their life in a place they never heard of, for a president they didn't vote for, in a cause they don't care about, for a thankless public should be considered more of a hero than all the singers, songwriters, actors, or politicians put together. Most (MOST, not all, there's always an exception) service-members don't even ask for thanks in return. I know I'm extremely uncomfortable when someone shakes my hand and says "thanks for your service." I have no clue how to respond to that.