Airline Experience Begs Question, 'Who Are America's Heroes?'
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 18, 2009 - The challenge issued by a flight attendant during a recent commercial air flight seemed innocuous enough: "Name just one of the five Medal of Honor recipients from the current engagements in Afghanistan or Iraq, and get a free drink coupon."
But the passengers' response – more specifically, the inability of all but just one to respond – revealed how little the average American knows about its military heroes.
Go finish and be embarrassed.
And don't tell me you know the last winner of American Idol.
YOU SUCK if you do.
Peace out!
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11 comments:
Michael Murphy and Michael Moonsor are the only ones I remember (both Navy SEALs). Sorry I don't know the names of the Marines. But I'm looking them up.
Oh--and David Cooke. Yeah, I watch it.
Wow, good point, I need to do some reading on the current ones--fromprevious engagements, Alvin York and Eddie Rickenbacker immediately come to mind.
Isen't that sad. That we know more about 'pop culture' then our countrys true life heros.
(here comes the tangent:)
It is a perfect example of the media controling the masses. Most people in todays society have been led to 'idolize' the everyday person who attains any measure of 'fame'.
Witch is fine, but let's not forget/or in any trivialize the saccrifice that the service men and women of today in the process of our "idol worship".
I do not believe that our service men and women get the respect they did in the past, or the respect they DESERVE, and for me, I DO believe that it has alot to do with the television.
I shall go attend to my 'victory garden' now ! I am fealing nice and patriotic..thank you!
Dori, at first glance I thought you typed "Michael Moore" and I just about crapped a brick! Oops. :)
Slamdunk, when I was in the Air Guard, I was amazed that they didn't have all of their history memorized. In the Marine Corps it is part and parcel of being Marines.
LilHouseMama, I ranted about this over at The Agrarian Times (a new e-zine) ... it's all Bread and Circuses. They keep us distracted with the next new shiny thing while they screw us every which way. And BOTH PARTIES... make no mistake about that. Like the people who added earmarks to this last bill, then voted against it. How much sense does THAT make? GRRRRRRR.
I enlisted in the Corps right out of high school... then got medically disqualified at MEPS due to a heart murmur.
That still stings a little.
I can tell you, it makes me sick how this country treats its veterans, especially those who come back wounded. VA hospitals should be the envy of all hospitals. Instead, it's often the opposite. It's sick.
I'm one who admittedly does NOT know the name of a single Medal of Honor Recipient, but DO know the name of the American Idol winners (and several of the runners up). Am I proud of that fact? No. Right up there with the Medal of Honor Recipients, I also wish I knew the names (and faces) of some who've received Purple Hearts, and some of those (beyond former President Jimmy Carter) who've won Nobel Prizes. Do I feel like these folks are more worthy of our time and appreciation than American Idol winners? Hells yeah! But, Recipients of both the Purple Heart and Medal of Honor are not announced over and over and over on both TV and Radio and in News Papers, as are winners of AI. It's not nearly so "easy" to know who the true heros are in our society, as it is to know who is the newest musical It-Girl/Guy.
FWIW, when my daughter and I were discussing heros, symbols and true patriots of the Revolutionary War and the war of 1812, I made mention of a modern hero, one PFC Pat Tillman. I told her that HE is a true hero, not because of his football career cut short, but because he turned his back on his football career in favor of serving his country, and was cut down in the effort to serve military justice against those whom had harmed his fellow countrymen. (As well as a lot of other people from other countries, on 9/11.) A hero, as I told her, is NOT somebody who climbs into a race car every weekend and races round & round a mile-long track at 200 mph for a prize of a hundred-thousand dollars and some points. Or risks a blown-out knee by a tackle from a tight-end, while passing that football to a teammate. A REAL hero is somebody who puts their life on the line, day after day, in persuit of life, liberty and the persuit of happiness for the rest of us! Whether that's a firefighter answering a midnight call in regards to a faulty carbon monoxide alarm or a REAL fire; a former football player who's gunned down (by friendly fire, no less) after going off to war in support of his country; a police officer who places himself in harm's way by going after a criminal; or even a scientist doing the "unglamorous" job of searching hard for a cure for cancer versus achieving wealth with a cure for male-pattern baldness. Those are our heros. We may not know there names, but we can STILL show our appreciation by talking about them and how they sacrifice their time, their days, and often their lives, to actually IMPROVE the lives of the rest of us.
So, no..... I don't know the name of any Medal of Honor or Purple Heart recipients, but I DO know what they've done for our country and I DO appreciate them.
Oh, Kati I sounded so bitter with the last line about "you suck". It was the Mike's hard cranberry talking, I swear!
I truly appreciate your respect for true heroes. And I'm sorry I came across as a B-i-t-c-h (which I am, but I wasn't being in THIS case). And more than you know, I appreciate you including police officers in your list. It makes me sad how people demonize them. Of course those firefighters... totally another story - civil servant's "glamour boys" they are! (just kidding....)
Christopher... I would love it if you'd send me an email. You are on my mind most every day. You know I've been telling you for several weeks now that I am worried about you. But if you don't, I do understand. I'm just some stranger chick. Peace brother.
I am among the mass of folk who can claim not to know the names of medal of honor winners, and one who cannot tell the name of most, if any pop stars. I grew tired of media (tv) when I was in my mid 20's and more so when I worked with them around 2000. since then I don't read the papers either. I still listen to radio though.
I can tell you that I have thanked every Vet that I have met who served before me, and a number of other younger ones. Some I give soap to, some I just shake their hand and say thank you. One in particular that comes to mind is a young marine who I have never met that I saw photos of as he was recuperating in a hospital after he pulled a buddy from a burning vehicle. he got a citation of some sort, but in all honesty, what it was I cannot recall. I sent him a set of soaps to use from our supplies, and a hand written thank you for his efforts.
Other heroes are the people who have affected my life. All of my grandparents served in WW2, with the possible exception of 1 I am not sure about. I respect all of them, and again, I do not know if they won any medals.
My neighbors who have never served or received medals for the work they do, but are true stand up people who came to help us when things were looking bad here a couple years back. they are all "common" heroes.
The firefighters and forest service employees who fought the forest fire that burned to within sight of our house. I thanked every one I saw, and talked to. They are also common heroes.
Day to day I never hear about the valor of our military, and I know it cheapens my life. But I will continue to live, and if by chance I meet one of those who won a medal, or perhaps hear the name in odd conversation, I might remember it. But likely as not, I would not.
I guess I might very well have missed a free drink on that flight then, right?
Vic, you might have missed your free drink, but you are indeed a man among men. Peace out, brother.
I could've toasted my free drink to SFC Paul Smith...
And Kati does have a point that I have never watched a single episode of American Idol, but the mere fact of living in the US makes me able to recite some of the participants' names.
It's disgusting that people don't know even a single name of a Hero from either operation.
What's even more disgusting is the reason for that. Not so much their fault as it is the Media, the government and even the military itself for not publicizing our heroes.
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