Andreas Smith: I’ll reserve my praise for true heroes, not just the uniform
Military worship, aka “hero worship,” is prevalent within the U.S. The simple act of being in the military does not make one heroic or mean they made a sacrifice. It is a job they chose to apply for; they were neither drafted nor forced into the job.
Just like other corporations, military members have different roles, goals, performances and outcomes. Some military members have done some truly heroic things while in the military and they deserve credit and recognition. The military provides this through various medals and honors. However, blanketing everyone in the military with praise detracts from those who truly deserve it.
Many in the military never see combat and instead play a support role. Those who see combat did so with full knowledge of what they signed up for. Only a small fraction of those who saw combat actually did something worthy of praise.
Take out the salary and government benefits and see how many “heroes” remain. It’s just a job and only those who are exemplary deserve praise. Simply having a job requirement of “being shot at in a different country” has nothing to do with my freedom or praise.
Andreas Smith, Modesto
This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Andreas Smith: I’ll reserve my praise for true heroes, not just the uniform."