Still arguing over who is a hero???

I stand by my earlier statement. You're all heroes, Somewhere along the line you were (probably) all a hero at some time in your life to someone.
Take it or leave it.

Originally Posted by PoetSarah

Still arguing over who is a hero???

I stand by my earlier statement. You're all heroes, Somewhere along the line you were (probably) all a hero at some time in your life to someone.
Take it or leave it.

I have to leave it thanks.

(((Del Boy)))

Originally Posted by Prapor

I think soldiers are heros. Certainly here in Russia a survey already showed that people are 80% more likely to trust the word of a man in camouflage than one in a suit Fact. ---snip---

Kvachkov was tried four times and acquitted by jury each time... His main defense: "If we wanted to kill him, he would be dead today."

That man is our hero, at least.

That, is what I call a really "bullet proof" defense (no pun intended). I would certainly believe him.

Let me put this in a nutshell:-

"Recruiting some-day soon - more Bomb Disposal Experts required - long hours - short life expectancy . Only complete idiots or absolute heroes should apply."

I wonder how many has actually served in the military?
Complete idiots, and they're not even thankful that the only reason they have the ability to voice their stupid opinions is because of the very people they're against. They should be protesting war, and if the name was something like "War is not a game", then I will fully support it, but I am amazed they even have the guts to have that as a group name

Sorry to those in disagreement, but soldiers are not heroes by definition. No one I served with would ever refer to themselves as such. You may fancy us as heroic for offering ourselves to a cause greater than ourselves, but there are numerous reasons for doing so and not every one of them is completely altruistic. Ergo, classifying all soldiers as "heroes" is a misnomer at best and a complete farce otherwise.

My definition of a soldier: "One who accepts a risk not equal to the relevant, tangential rewards in service to a nation and its people." That is, serving itself is the reward. The pay, the college benefits, the housing are mere placards that are both necessary and attractive to some who find military conditions and benefits as greater than they might elsewhere achieve. That does not change the risk factor, however, nor does it in any way apply any factor of ignorance - we all knew the risks to ourselves, and our selfish motivations for service were weighed and measured against the metric of serving others.

If you want to honor a soldier's commitment, don't call him or her a hero. Just call them your equal, thank them for their service, and acknowledge the potential for sacrifice they themselves did. A handshake and a beer says FAR more to any soldier or veteran than does shallow flattery, regardless of its intent or personal truth.

As for the website? They aren't worth my time to dislike. Their own narcissism will be their own undoing. No reason for me to be upset at all. I didn't serve to be liked. I served because, to me, it was the right thing to do. No Facebook garbage can ever take that away from me. They don't have the power to undo the past, regardless of how much I screwed up my future. Hate me, laugh at me, call me names - my 214 doesn't have anyone's opinion on it.

Good post AZ. Can't knock that.

But would you consider that volunteering for the battle- front is an heroic calling?
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I also liked your Facebook reference. Some of us screw up big-time; 'the moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on.' But every one of us is unique.

Originally Posted by Del Boy

Good post AZ. Can't knock that.

But would you consider that volunteering for the battle- front is an heroic calling?

I also liked your Facebook reference. Some of us screw up big-time; the moving finger writes, and then moves on. But every one of us is unique.

A heroic calling? Yes. But so is being a firefighter, a police officer, or a teacher.

I was a soldier because I wanted to be. What's heroic about doing something you want to do? True heroism is doing something you DON'T want to do, but do it anyway because you agree that sacrificing for another trumps the probable return on investment.

"Hero" is a term that we throw around way too loosely today. You're not a hero for doing the right thing when everyone is looking. You're a hero when you do the right thing in temptation of the wrong thing when no one is looking - and if anyone ever finds out about it, you did it wrong.

To me, a hero dies with their secrets. Anything short of that was heroic, yes. But heroes are silent.

Nice one.