Hero inflation

[bridges]

Just for kicks, I checked my Canadian Oxford: 

Hero noun (pl.heroes) 1 a person distinguished by courage, noble deeds, outstanding achievements, etc.

I would enhance this to say that animals can also be heroes. 

This is an important discussion to have, as it does seem like the term is getting diluted - but IMO, ultimately it probably comes down to the eye of the beholder.  :2c:

 

[cupper]

It is a matter of perspective as well.

An example of this would be Pte. Bradley Manning.

Some consider him a hero for what he did, others (especially many of those in uniform) vilify him.

 

[bridges]

It is a matter of perspective as well.

An example of this would be Pte. Bradley Manning.

Some consider him a hero for what he did, others (especially many of those in uniform) vilify him.

Good point.  The 'Hero or traitor?" question, in some cases, can flip 180° depending on your perspective.  In other cases there's little ambiguity.

 

[Pusser]

Its no one's "fault" he's on PAT, but until he is trades qualified I couldn't give two shits about him.

This should inspire young (apparently not yet) soldiers to excel.

 

[bridges]

This should inspire young (apparently not yet) soldiers to excel.

Really.  Hopefully they'd see it for what it is:  one person's opinion. 

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Really.  Hopefully they'd see it for what it is:  one person's opinion.

The idea that it is a person's private opinion, has been stated in this thread at least three times, and very clearly, at that.

Yet some are determined to beat people over the head and shove what they believe, down other's throats as opposed to just being adults and respecting what others believe.

If this circles the drain much more it's going to be done for, because it's been circling for a couple of pages already.

Milnet.ca Staff

 

[daftandbarmy]

This looks interesting:

Military Heroism: An Occupational Definition
Jeffrey W. Anderson
U.S. Army Research Institute

Abstract
While most of us recognize the concept of heroism, an operational definition has remained elusive. The body of published literature on heroism likewise does not focus on the personal attributes that predispose an individual to heroic acts. In this study, a body of work not previously analyzed-citations of Medal of Honor awardees-was used to develop and rank dimensions of military heroism, following Flanagan's critical incident technique. These dimensions then compared definitions of heroism across conflicts. Essentially, three dimensions were derived and served as a basis for examining military heroism. As an initial effort, this study directs our thoughts to an operational definition of military heroism.

http://afs.sagepub.com/content/12/4/591.abstract

 

[Bass ackwards]

I wonder if this whole thing would even be newsworthy, much less cause all this acrimonious debate, if the original words had been spoken by...say...a retired USMC Gunnery Sergeant with a chest full of medals as opposed to "some left-wing bedwettin' commie from the MSM" ?

Sometimes it's the messenger, not the message. 

 

[cupper]

I wonder if this whole thing would even be newsworthy, much less cause all this acrimonious debate, if the original words had been spoken by...say...a retired USMC Gunnery Sergeant with a chest full of medals as opposed to "some left-wing bedwettin' commie from the MSM" ?

Sometimes it's the messenger, not the message.

There may be a little bit of truth in that.

 

[Bass ackwards]

There may be a little bit of truth in that.

Just a "little bit" ??

I'm hurt...

 

[Pieman]

I ran across this today, and thought it summed things up nicely:

“Do not call me hero,
When you see the medals that I wear,
Medals maketh not the hero,
They just prove that I was there.

Do not call me hero,
Now that I am old and grey,
I left a lad, returned a man,
They stole my youth that day.

Do not call me hero,
When we ran the wall of hail,
The blood, the fears, the cries, the tears
We left them where they fell.

Do not call me hero,
Each night I stop and pray,
For all the friends I knew and lost,
I survived my longest day.

Do not call me hero,
In the years that pass,
For all the real true heroes,
Have crosses, lined up on the grass.”


Author Unknown.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I ran across this today, and thought it summed things up nicely:

This link credits Rob Aitchison

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/98/a2749098.shtml

Here's another good one:

“War is hell, but that's not the half of it,
because war is also mystery and terror and
adventure and courage and discovery and
holiness and pity and despair and longing and
love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling;
war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war
makes you dead.”

- Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried

 

[Pieman]

Very nice, also strikes me as being very true.