I know this is going to be an unpopular question, but, when did all soldiers/sailors/marines become heroes? I

True, the term is completely overused in the media. The soldiers working in the 545th Mess Kit Repair Battalion, straightening spoons ain't exactly Audie Murphy... I served several years out of Bragg...82nd Abn, 7th SFGA, etc., never considered myself a hero...neither did anybody else I served with. I remember somebody asking me about Iraq when we came back after the Gulf War in 91, "Oh you must have been so brave to get on that plane to go..." Um...no, I just followed the guy in front of me, lady....they said "go" so we went.

The HERO moniker is put there to get the public behind the military...especially during an unpopular war. No harm in that, really...I'd much rather see younger generations look up to them than some overpaid athlete who can't stay out of jail. True, it's overused these days, but I'd hate to see kids coming home now to the same kind of receptions Viet Nam veterans got.

I too am a veteran, post-vietnam era. I served my country, endured long periods deployed, moved at the whim of the Navy, and did a job that most people on the planet would not do. Like you, I did the job I was ordered to do, for a lot less money than I should have received for the level of responsibility and accountability with which I was charged. I did my duty, and I did it for 20 years. Am I a hero? No. Not even close. And I don't believe that everyone that wears a uniform, even overseas in a combat situation is a hero.

To me, a hero is the person that, in extremely grave and dangerous circumstances, risks death or serious bodily injury above and beyond the call of duty to complete the mission, or to prevent injury or loss of life of others. This could be the guy that ran into a burning building to save others, or this could be the Soldier that ran into a machine gun nest to stop suppressive fire on his unit.

Although I applaud the patriotism of most of the individuals in the military, both at sea and stateside, I would call very few heroes. Don't get me wrong, every day I see Sailors and Marines and I tell them "thank you" for doing a job that most Americans can't do, won't do, or think doesn't needs doing. But they aren't heroes. I don't consider Jessica Lynch a hero; the press gave her that label, and the American public responded. The military almost had to call her a hero to prevent even more public outcry and press persecution. On the other hand, Corporal Jason Dunham, United States Marine Corps, was a hero; a real-live no kidding hero, and I salute him.

But most are just good military personnel, doing what is required of them - not heroes.

You, Sir, are beyond hero if you served in Vietnam. Consider that, unlike Vietnam, this new platoon is a total volunteer army. This most certainly does not demean what you and your fellow soldiers did in Vietnam, but if there was a draft today, there would be a six lane highway heading toward Canada. To go into a hostile environment, far from home, security, and loved ones, is what a hero did and what a hero does now. You are a hero because you served your country with pride and without disobedience. Today's young men and women do the same but on a total volunteer basis. To interrupt lives , education, family life to serve this country. and knowing you may come back in a body bag or in a wheel chair .... is not that the defininition of a hero.??? I salute you and all of those who have worn the uniform that represents this country.

I'm an Iraq veteran and I'm no hero either. I served in a combat unit and I saw loads of heroism by all different types of people in all different types of MOS's. However, none of them will claim hero status. I think you are falling prey to the lip service that is being paid to America's military these days. Pay close attention to what the news media and politicians says about Soldiers. They are all "heros" because that keeps folks believing that they support our military when most news agencies and certain politicians couldn't care less about them. They also refer to us as "kids" and will portray us as dumb, unfortunate souls who have crappy leadership fighting an unwinnable war.

Truth is we are not all kids, most of us are well educated, we have excellent leadership and the war is not unwinnable. We could be very successful in Iraq right now, but we do not have the full support of the American people. Yes, we can drag out the tired response of it's all George's fault and Iraq wasn't responsible, wrong war, etc etc. Got it. Doesn't matter now does it? We are in a full blown war and if we give ground, we will have more 9/11's.

So what do we do? We fight harder. We need the support of the nation or we will lose. People like Pelosi, Murtha, Clinton, etc they sound good, but they really have no plan. Talking to bad men is the answer? A diplomatic solution is the answer? When dealing with fascists, the answer is no, but the Pelosi's, Murtha's and Clintons only want votes, not victory. They should see Chamberlin's actions regarding Hitler in WW2..."Peace in our time". Sound familiar?

Is throwing more Soldiers into Iraq the answer? Maybe. We need to continue the fight that is certain.

I know exactly what you are talking about. We use the word "hero" WAY too much. It seems to be becoming a word with no meaning...I mean, football hero???? I don't think so.

You are correct. When a person joins the military and is sent off to war, they are doing their job. Military is for war - not just for the benefits. War is their job - by definition.

A hero is a soldier who goes above and beyond..who has done an extraordinary deed. Not the guy that kicked the longest punt or shot the best basket...etc.

That is an interesting question and I appreicate you asking it. I can see where you are torn. My first instinct was "of course they're heroes" but after reading your follow-on comments, I had to think about it further. According to Websters, a hero is "a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities or one that shows great courage." I believe our Soldiers today show great courage bc in the year 2007, they choose to enter the military knowing that they are going to deploy. Unlike Viet Nam, they don't enlist in hopes to avoid the draft and certain assignments. They enlist bc they believe in America and the cause we are fighting. Whether you or other Americans believe in the war is irrelavant. They are willing to die and to spend time away from their families for a cause that within their hearts means the safety of America's future. Whether this war or any war will ensure peace is insignificant. But the fact, that these young men and women are willing to sacrifice their lives for something that may make a difference, makes them heroes to me. They're taking that risk. It's possible, heaven-forbid, this war will go down in history as a mistake, but today's military is standing strong on the hope that it will make a difference for the future of our country. Not many young men and women would risk their lives on a chance like that. So in my book, they are all my heroes. And in my book, you too are a hero. Despite the good, bad and ugly of Viet Nam. You made a choice to serve (whether it was to your advantage or not doesn't matter). There were no guarantees once you signed that line. I'm sure it was a scary, hard choice for you back then. Any man or woman who puts on that uniform to protect the rest of us and sacrifice as we drink our Starbucks and drive around in our SUVs is a hero. I'm sorry that people didn't realize that 30 years ago.

It could be guilt over how you and your brothers were treated when you returned home from the Big Puddle. Maybe this country is trying to make up for the way we acted when our soldiers came home from Nam. Maybe this country just needs a hero, any hero. I'm sure you know, like I do, the real hero's are usually the ones who don't make it home. Take it with a grain of salt, that's about all that can be done. And by the way, Welcome Home and Thank You. Semper Fi.

I find myself in a quandry as to how to answer, on one hand everyone who serves their country is a hero, be it in the military or any other branch of the government.

A hero is the person who goes about his daily work and does it to the best of their ability and going home after work. This includes if your job is in combat or not. The guy atop of a power pole in a driving rain, trying to restore power to a comminity is a hero, but we give him no medals, just another pole to climb.

So it is with the military. In great part I see this as a response to the citizen military, where it is once again (to a degree) as it was in WWII where everyone know someone, a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker who has been called up and we know them personally and we can see the personal price they and their families pay for their commitment.

You, going to Vietnam and those going to Iraq are heros. I thank you for you service.

I speak from the position of being a retired DoD civilian for 30 years watching and supporting our combat forces.

I think a hero is someone who does something above the call of duty and does so without thought of publicity or attention (i.e. because it was the right thing to do). By this definition, the average every day soldier in Iraq or Afganistan is not a hero. I completely agree with you.

By calling every soldier a hero, the word no longer has any meaning. Pretty soon, the soldiers who do extrodinary things will have to be called superheroes just to give their deeds the impact they deserve.

Us soldiers, sailors, and marines who serve in the armed forces are heros because they give up much of our freedom to defend the freedom of the citizens of the US. Maybe we don't sign up so that we can defend freedom but either way we put ourselves in a high risk job in which the sole purpose is to defend the US. Personally I haven't done anything great and I haven't been in very long, so I don't consider myself a hero but the men and women who have been deployed truly do deserve respect.

Being in the military I can tell you that it is made up of regular people. I don't believe I'am any better than civilians, we are always told to treat civilians with respect because the are the only reason we have a job. So in other words people in the armed forces aren't heros in the sense that we are better than any body else it's just the nature of our job that makes us heros.