Andy Rooney: Soldiers in Iraq aren't heros.

[alchemize]

Our soldiers in Iraq aren't heroes

Treating soldiers fighting their war as brave heroes is an old civilian trick designed to keep the soldiers at it. But you can be sure our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home.

 

[Red Dawn]

The fact that they are in Harm's way makes them Heroes. A hero is someone who places his life in danger even if he'd prefer not too.

 

[dmcowen674]

Folks of his generation are apparently responsible for the deporable treatment our Vietnam soldiers got.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: alchemize
Our soldiers in Iraq aren't heroes

Treating soldiers fighting their war as brave heroes is an old civilian trick designed to keep the soldiers at it. But you can be sure our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home.

WTF?

 

[Hugenstein]

How about reading the quote and not just picking out a couple words and making up your own meaning.

He did not say are soldiers are not heroes, he said...

... our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home.

So basically he said 100% of our soldiers are not gladly risking their lives for us in Iraq. How many of our troops do you think are gladly risking their lives in Iraq?

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: Hugenstein
How about reading the quote and not just picking out a couple words and making up your own meaning.

He did not say are soldiers are not heroes, he said...

... our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home.

So basically he said 100% of our soldiers are not gladly risking their lives for us in Iraq. How many of our troops do you think are gladly risking their lives in Iraq?

You are correct. He didn't not say 100%. We can assume from this quote that at least 51% are victims, and at least 49% are not heroes.

Most are victims, not heroes

Thanks for pointing out the statistics.

 

[burnedout]

Thanks for linking this piece. I really admire Andy Rooney and had the opportunity to meet him in 1995 during the 50th anniversary of V-E Day in Germany.

Having said that, while I don't particularly agree with his choice of words, his overall message in the complete OP/ED contains some wisdom that we might consider.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: burnedout
Thanks for linking this piece. I really admire Andy Rooney and had the opportunity to meet him in 1995 during the 50th anniversary of V-E Day in Germany.

Having said that, while I don't particularly agree with his choice of words, his overall message in the complete OP/ED contains some wisdom that we might consider.

Hero is the most overused word in the dictionary since 9/11. (which is to take nothing away from those in Iraq)

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

UQ is right.

A hero in a true sense is someone who performs an extraordinary act in extraordinary circumstances. Soldiers fight do not make them heroes. Our troops do a terrific job and there are heroes among them. Using it as a general term cheapens the meaning, and it is indeed being used in a back slapping way.

 

[LeadMagnet]

the media uses for the word hero for;

Like the child that fell in the well is a hero.

The cop that was killed when stuck by a car while writing a ticket.

A kid with cancer.

A fireman killed in a abandoned burning building.

A guy that plays with balls for a living.

Or someone that can play a musical instrument.

 

[maluckey]

To be a hero, you must do something selfless, or at the least, deliberately put others before your own well being in order that they progress.

In one sense, Rooney is correct not all will volunteer to fight and die for what they believe in. In another, he is off the mark.

This is a volunteer force. ALL these soldiers to a limited extent did volunteer to put themselves in harms way to one extent or another. True, some did it praying for there never to be a time where they had to fulfill their obligation to their country, but others quietly do their job, with full knowledge that they may be called upon to die for their families.

maybe there should be two words to describe this. "Hero" with a capital "H" and "hero" with a lower case "h".

I for one, applaud those still serving where I can no longer do so. I am proud (and a little envious) of all of them.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
UQ is right.

A hero in a true sense is someone who performs an extraordinary act in extraordinary circumstances.

So if you do extraordinary acts during ordinary circumstances you aren't a hero? Do you have made up definitions for all words or just this one?

Soldiers fight do not make them heroes.

Sorry, but I have no idea wtf you were trying to say here?

Our troops do a terrific job and there are heroes among them. Using it as a general term cheapens the meaning, and it is indeed being used in a back slapping way.

Using the term hero for the men and women who serve in our military is pretty much the last remaining TRUE sense of the word. I understand you think a hero is a guy who rushes into a burning building to rescue some trapped kittens, but soldiers, by their waking up each day, equal this task by serving literally and symbolically as the shield to defend our safety and our freedom. A man may act spontaneously and act nearly without thinking during a time of crisis and perform an extraordinary act. But the servicemen of our military make a conscious and selfless daily decision to place themselves in harm's way for the good of people they'll never meet. I know that isn't always in the front of their mind (as I've heard from my friends who've served), but it is at least always in the back.

 

[KAMAZON]

Brave men and women who in the darkest days of advesary and a unknown fate fought with a sublime determination based on a principle of what is right for the world are heros. Such examples are FDR, Macarthur, Aberham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Joan of Arc, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the many fallen soldiers of World War 2, adn so on. Our soldiers in Iraq are TARGETS, not Heros. These kids don't belong there, the only reason they are there in the first place is because "Dirty Dick" Cheney lied repeatedly and got us in this quagmire.

 

[nutxo]

Consider the source.

This is the same man that said the orange peeler was the greatest invention ever .:beer:

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: KAMAZON
Brave men and women who in the darkest days of advesary and a unknown fate fought with a sublime determination based on a principle of what is right for the world are heros. Such examples are FDR, Macarthur, Aberham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Joan of Arc, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the many fallen soldiers of World War 2, adn so on. Our soldiers in Iraq are TARGETS, not Heros. These kids don't belong there, the only reason they are there in the first place is because "Dirty Dick" Cheney lied repeatedly and got us in this quagmire.

So in other words, a US soldier is only a hero when the war matches your political idealogy?

If I hadn't turned over a new leaf, I'd have to add your "Our soldiers in Iraq are TARGETS, not Heros" to my sig as a priceless quote.

 

[xxxxxJohnGaltxxxxx]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
UQ is right.

A hero in a true sense is someone who performs an extraordinary act in extraordinary circumstances. Soldiers fight do not make them heroes. Our troops do a terrific job and there are heroes among them. Using it as a general term cheapens the meaning, and it is indeed being used in a back slapping way.

Concur. (Hell has once again frozen over).

 

[Moonbeam]

Under the right conditions anybody can be a coward or a hero. Life provides all kinds of situations so all possible behaviors eventually appear.

 

[KAMAZON]

Originally posted by: alchemize

Originally posted by: KAMAZON
Brave men and women who in the darkest days of advesary and a unknown fate fought with a sublime determination based on a principle of what is right for the world are heros. Such examples are FDR, Macarthur, Aberham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Joan of Arc, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the many fallen soldiers of World War 2, adn so on. Our soldiers in Iraq are TARGETS, not Heros. These kids don't belong there, the only reason they are there in the first place is because "Dirty Dick" Cheney lied repeatedly and got us in this quagmire.

So in other words, a US soldier is only a hero when the war matches your political idealogy?

If I hadn't turned over a new leaf, I'd have to add your "Our soldiers in Iraq are TARGETS, not Heros" to my sig as a priceless quote.

If you notice, I listed people from all kinds of political ideologies. Aberham Lincoln was a Republican, FDR was a Democrat, Franklin was in the tradition of the Whig party, Joan of Arc was a fighter who was younger than us and fought British Imperialism. Furthermore, our troops who are being sent out to carry out an impossible occupation while over 15,000 civilians have been killed and are being shot at like a virtual shooting gallery doesn't mean they are heros. These kids need to come back home before they are killed by Dick Cheneys evil wannabe empire and devleop their own country, not distroy someone elses. Your comments are libel and uneducated.

 

[DealMonkey]

This seems like a realistic assessment, however I'm sure Alchemize is one step away from calling Rooney a "traitor commie liberal" for daring to say it.

Treating soldiers fighting their war as brave heroes is an old civilian trick designed to keep the soldiers at it. But you can be sure our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home.

Our soldiers in Iraq are people, young men and women, and they behave like people - sometimes good and sometimes bad, sometimes brave, sometimes fearful. It's disingenuous of the rest of us to encourage them to fight this war by idolizing them.

We pin medals on their chests to keep them going. We speak of them as if they volunteered to risk their lives to save ours, but there isn't much voluntary about what most of them have done. A relatively small number are professional soldiers. During the last few years, when millions of jobs disappeared, many young people, desperate for some income, enlisted in the Army. About 40 percent of our soldiers in Iraq enlisted in the National Guard or the Army Reserve to pick up some extra money and never thought they'd be called on to fight. They want to come home.

 

[xxxxxJohnGaltxxxxx]

Originally posted by: KAMAZON

These kids need to come back home before they are killed by Dick Cheneys evil wannabe empire and devleop their own country, not distroy someone elses. Your comments are libel and uneducated.

You sure have an affinity for "Dick" these days (reference: your thread); moreover, you supported your hypothesis with two non-germane gay links...I am no mathmagician, but I think 1+1=2...you do the math.

 

[KAMAZON]

Originally posted by: xxxxxJohnGaltxxxxx

Originally posted by: KAMAZON

These kids need to come back home before they are killed by Dick Cheneys evil wannabe empire and devleop their own country, not distroy someone elses. Your comments are libel and uneducated.

You sure have an affinity for "Dick" these days (reference: your thread); moreover, you supported your hypothesis with two non-germane gay links...I am no mathmagician, but I think 1+1=2...you do the math.

You again are not being honest and not linking the list of hardcore and influential Republicans I also listed. You can ignore those 2 links and focus on the people I mentioned. As far as the "Dirty Dick" goes, you voted for him and seem to love that "Dirty Dick" much more while he disgusts me, so as far as homoerotism goes, you've got us all beat (except some freepers here). Ignoring the meat of the discussion and focusing on 2 non important links while tryign to insinuate someone is 'gay' during the discussion, is a classic sign of intellectual impotence and an inability to face the issues or your own false axioms.

 

[xxxxxJohnGaltxxxxx]

Originally posted by: KAMAZON[/iIgnoring the meat of the discussion and focusing on 2 non important links...

I rest my case; you provided "non important links' in support of your hypothesis...strike two.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Folks of his generation are apparently responsible for the deporable treatment our Vietnam soldiers got.

Nope that treatment was all at the hands of their fellow baby boomers for the most part.

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: DealMonkey
This seems like a realistic assessment, however I'm sure Alchemize is one step away from calling Rooney a "traitor commie liberal" for daring to say it.

Treating soldiers fighting their war as brave heroes is an old civilian trick designed to keep the soldiers at it. But you can be sure our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home.

Our soldiers in Iraq are people, young men and women, and they behave like people - sometimes good and sometimes bad, sometimes brave, sometimes fearful. It's disingenuous of the rest of us to encourage them to fight this war by idolizing them.

We pin medals on their chests to keep them going. We speak of them as if they volunteered to risk their lives to save ours, but there isn't much voluntary about what most of them have done. A relatively small number are professional soldiers. During the last few years, when millions of jobs disappeared, many young people, desperate for some income, enlisted in the Army. About 40 percent of our soldiers in Iraq enlisted in the National Guard or the Army Reserve to pick up some extra money and never thought they'd be called on to fight. They want to come home.

OH dealmonkey how you love to put words in my mouth. Liberal yes, traitor commie, no. I would say that if he wanted to examine the use of the word "hero", he failed miserably.

Vets, do you agree? Were medals pinned on your chests to "keep you going"?

 

[DealMonkey]

Yes, I believe the assessment that a good chunk (40%) of the soldiers over there are Reserve-National Guardsmen who probably never imagined they'd be deployed overseas to fight on the front lines. Or pull cop duty in the Sunni triangle.