AC Radio: Episode 6
14 Jun
Dr. Rob talks World Cup Soccer, defines qui vive, we discuss The Secret Powers of Time, and as always, we round things out with a joke.
AttentionCrash Radio: Episode 6
And here is Brian’s statement which I read on air. He’s a Staff Sergeant in the US Army’s Special Forces.
Heroism is, of course, all about perception. Soldiers don’t perceive other soldiers they work with as heroes, even the best ones. Books have been written about some of the men I work with, but the word “hero” has never crossed my mind when describing them. I’d call them great guys, terrific soldiers, and fantastic performers. They conduct themselves in their duties extremely well, but that’s all such conduct is to a soldier: a job. Service. Perhaps the annals of history will bestow upon some of us the title of “hero,” but that is for the next generation to decide.
For a civilian looking in, it is different. George Clooney views Brad Pitt through a different lens than, say, a 12 year old girl living in Omaha, and the same is true about soldiers and civilians. I will admit that I grew weary of being humbled by the constant onslaught of “thank yous” while wearing my uniform in public places, but that is a terrific problem to have. As a soldier today, we are blessed that we don’t have to deal with what the previous generation did upon returning from Vietnam. Those guys still harbor a lot of bad blood about the way they were treated and I am thankful that hardship is not mine to endure. To be honest, I minimize my service as much as possible when I’m around civilians because that inevitably becomes the topic of conversation, and I’m not a huge fan of shop talk.
That’s pretty much all I have to say on that topic. If you field any more military questions, even those related to Iraq and Afghanistan, I’d be more than happy to weigh in. Public (and high military brass) perception is vastly different than ground truth in these theaters of war.
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