Does This Have a Familiar Ring?

This interesting letter from Vernon Byrd:

"What is a War Hero?

I've been listening to Congressmen Jack Murtha's negative comments about the war in Iraq for some months now.  I've heard him repeatedly described as a "war hero".  Thirty-seven years in the Marine Corps.

Wow!  I visualize a burly ex-marine, his chest bedazzled with medals, the survivor of countless combats in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War.  A man who knows war and combat from the inside out.  A man with the experience that allows him to see that the war in Iraq is hopeless and we should all quit and go home.

Although I've been turned off by Murtha's remarks, I never questioned his war hero status.  Nor has our liberal press which is why Murtha has been getting away with his charade!  Then the other day, bingo, I suddenly knew something was rotten in Denmark about Jack Murtha's war hero status.  I've been bothered by his comments in the past but his latest remarks about Marines killing civilians in cold blood caught my attention.  Whether this turns out to be true or not, something just didn't compute.  That was the moment when I woke up and said, "Hey, I'm going to check this guy out." No real Marine who's "been there" would prejudge combat troops prior to the release of a military inquiry.

And what did I find?  Did I find a man of vast operational experience with an extensive combat record? 

No.  I found a man whom fellow congressman Don Bailey of Pennsylvania, silver star and three bronze stars, calls a liar and a phony.  A man who came to Bailey crying and sobbing, thanking him for saving Murtha from the ethics committee (on Abscam-related charges) at which time he admitted to Bailey that his purple hearts weren't earned.  A man with a couple of years of active duty and the rest of his 37 year career spent in the Marine Corps Reserve.  A man with one year in Vietnam as a staff intelligence offer.  A man who's no more been in combat or is a war hero than I am.  Even John Kerry has more combat experience than Jack Murtha.

(I know flight attendants who have spent more time in Danang than either one of these jerks. ... Luke)

So what is a War Hero?  Well at the bare minimum, a war hero would have to be somebody who's actually been in combat, somebody who's been in direct contact with the enemy over some extended period of time, somebody who's been shot at and/or had their life repeatedly threatened like infantry or the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force pilots who flew over Vietnam, somebody who has performed his or her duties in a heroic manner.

And what is Jack Murtha?  Just one more scheming politician, a Democrat, sensing a change in the direction of the political winds.  A man who volunteered for a year's duty in Vietnam as an intelligence officer so he could come home and run for congress in 1968 as a war hero.  Barf. Sound familiar?  A man who's thinking about the next election and hoping he's on the right side when it comes.

As a citizen and as a congressman Murtha has every right to express his opinion on the Vietnam War - but not cloaked in the mantle of a Marine Corps war hero with vast experience in such matters.  His comments are very destructive to the morale of our troops and have only one objective - to get reelected.

PS  I also think Murtha's a bit unhinged.

We should have known, no real Marine would have talked like that."

Comments

[Simple Country Physicist]

What is a war hero?
I consulted my (Concise) OED for a definition of the former: "a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage or outstanding achievements. (in mythology and folklore) a person of superhuman qualities, in particular one of those whose exploits were the subject of ancient Greek legends." The allusion to Greek mythology is appropriate since it refers to a single minded dedication to one's mission without regard for collateral damages or casualties. Obviously one's self must be preserved or the mission cannot be accomplished and by inference then it is permissible to sacrifice any number of innocent bystanders to preserve one's life and ability to persecute the mission.
So far as War is defined, I offer Clausewitz's statement that "Der Kreig ist nichts als eine Fortsetzung der politischen Verkhers mit Einmischung ander Mittel" which can be approximately translated as "War is nothing but a continuation of political intercourse, with an admixture of other means."
The combination leads us to a person who is admired for their courage or achievements in pursuing political objectives.

[teach]

My definition is simpler:

*vis, e.g., Robert E. Lee

[Simple Country Physicist]

So the requirement is to have a heartattack in the middle of a battle, refuse to hand over command to a subordinate, make a disastrous decision, and lose the war in one swell foop?
Sorry, I find the darkness in the concept of hero to be dominant. Clearly REL was a great commander, strategist, and leader. His integrity and honesty, rare among soldiers and often absent among warriors, make him a paragon. Sadly however, he was not so skilled as a tactician, he was saddled with a boss who could not avoid micromanagement, and he never recovered from the loss of his tactician.
I suspect however, that our views of the meaning of the word "hero" are significantly different. Clearly, I would agree that REL is worthy of our respect, but so also is Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.