Obsequious Fawning

This is going to be misinterpreted, so let me just say that I was in the US Marine Corps when it was unfashionable. I was no hero -- just a guy doing what had to be done.

A common theme these days in the (especially center and right-wing) media is the (in my view) ridiculous fawning over those who serve in the military. Every one is characterized as a "hero" and the conservative talk show hosts (guys like Limbaugh, Medved, Praeger, Hewitt, Hannity, Beck, etc) seem to fall all over themselves to lick the boots of anyone who is, or has been, in the military. Don't get me wrong --these guys all deserve our respect and thanks, but elevating them all to the status of "hero" demeans those whose deeds are truly worthy of the term. The left-wing media, of course, are clueless about so much and continues to be anti-military, so that's not surprising, but I'm not talking about them -- I expect that from those who are further down the learning curve.

The fawning from the Right can be explained, I think, by guilt and ignorance. Military service was, to put it mildly, out of fashion when most of the media were coming of age. Guys like Medved, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc, all did whatever they could to evade serving. This was very common at the time, as we all know, so they were not unique. However, now that they have become conservative spokesmen, often advocating military action, and with all that the conservative philosophy implies about the need and uses for a strong national defense, I strongly suspect that there is a gnawing guilt deep within them for not having done their part when their time came. It's easy now to advocate sending people into combat when you are too old to serve and your children are not about to volunteer for the now-all-volunteer military. It might, ironically, even assauge some personal guilt. They can't go back and re-live those days; they can, however, profess nauseating worship for everything and everyone military in an attempt to, at least in their mind, make up for their own refusal to step up. It's pretty transparent.

These same people tend to be painfully ignorant of things military. Most of them couldn't tell you whether a colonel outranked a corporal, or whether the Navy Cross was more or less desirable than the Silver Star, or what the significance of the Chaut-chaut machine gun was. You don't have to have served in the military to know this stuff. Being interested enough to study a bit of military history will give one the insight to understand that just being in the military does not make one a hero. In fact, shooting at (or being shot at by) the enemy does not, by itself, confer hero status -- isn't that stuff sort of implied when one signs up?

Along with unfamiliarity with the military generally goes unfamiliarity with the truly heroic deeds of such as John Basilone, Alvin York, Stephen Decatur, Leonaidas,
Jackson Pharris, or Taffy 3. Those are just a few that come to mind at the moment, but with the exception of Michael Medved (easily the best informed talk show host on radio today, tho he has other issues), I'll bet none of the above personages could tell you anything about any of these people or what they did to truly earn the status of "Hero". I would have more respect for their opinions on military matters if they could.