R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I saw the Facebook post of a friend who was inspired by the movie, American Sniper. My friend suggested that, “we should appreciate all who serve in the military as heroes.” I disagree.

I think there are real heroes who serve in the military and they deserve our respect and appreciation. They are people who made courageous sacrifices or risked their lives in order to save others. Some of these heroes are officially recognized and acknowledged. I suspect there are many others who are not.

However, I think that most of the people who serve in the military are not heroes. They are regular men and women who go to work and do their jobs. Their contributions to society are no more (or no less) valuable than the work of policemen and police women, healthcare workers who work in emergency departments, Peace Corps volunteers, or countless others in the USA.

I also think there are people in the armed forces like people in all of other walks of life. Some are lazy. Some are cowards. Some are brutal and some are criminals. All of them are not heroes and to suggest that they are diminishes the status of those members of the armed forces who actually are heroes.