Heroes and Friends.  In the early 90’s, Randy Travis released a song named Heroes & Friends.  There is a line in the song that comes to mind; “Your heroes will help you find good in yourself/Your friends won’t forsake you for somebody else”.  Don’t get me wrong-I like the song.  I love Randy Travis, and 99.99999% of everything I listen to is country music (The older stuff now, not most of what’s on the radio these days.  I’m turning into the old codger that sits on the front porch and complains about how easy and better it was back in “my day”).

So why am I talking about heroes and friends?  Well first off, let me preface my entire soliloquy by stating that I personally would much rather be considered a friend than a hero.  Having said that, what is a hero anymore?  Well, if you look at the news media, social media, not social media, any other kind of media, a hero is whoever they think is deserving of the attention that day.  One day it’s first responders, one day it’s social activists, one day it’s veterinarians.  Almost always though it’s veterans.  And this is where I have a problem.  To be fair, I have a problem with the first responder part too, and I am a first responder.

So tell me this if you would, Most Greatly Appreciated Reader and Deep Insightful Thinker.  What makes veterans heroes?  Is it be cause we “signed a blank check” or because we “stand ready at the door against the wolves?” Maybe it’s because we are the “rough men (and women) who stand ready to do violence.”  I’m sure you’ve heard some version of each of these in some form or fashion.  If you’ve been on the receiving end of it, it has probably been followed up with a trite, awkward yet usually heartfelt “Thank You For Your Service” (also known as TYFYS).

Let’s go ahead and jump in face first to this cesspool of heroically defining traits and characteristics.  So what makes a veteran a hero? Is it because he “answered the call to serve his country?”  It’s a good reason to serve, but doesn’t make anyone a hero.  I’ve known plenty of people who signed up to “serve” who ended up on their way out with either a Big Chicken Dinner or a Dishonorable Discharge.  For those of you Chic-fil-a fans who don’t know what the Big Chicken Dinner is, and couldn’t begin to fathom the fact that any reference to chicken could have negative connotations, the Big Chicken Dinner is a colloquial reference to a Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD).  

Ok, so signing the dotted line doesn’t make you a hero.  In fact, if your recruiter convinced you to sign the dotted line without fully comprehending the contract, it really just makes you an idiot or a sucker. 
Let’s find another reason.  Oh hell, let’s just go with the “blank check”.  You know, when they joined they “signed a blank check to their country”.  It sounds great.  Except it’s wrong.  There absolutely is no “blank check”.  Everyone is expecting something in return.  There’s a reason why you have to have your will in place and your life insurance policy established correctly before you deploy.  There’s a reason why “most” units would spend weeks, months training leading up to the deployment.  The blank check argument could be applied to every single person that owns a car.  Every time you get in your car and get on a road, you’re signing a blank check.  Does that mean every car owner is a hero? 

This is actually getting longer than I expected it to, and since I don’t want to just cut it short and end it, I’ll turn this one into a part 1 and 2 as well.  Gotta keep ya’ll in suspense…it’s all I got to keep people interested in the mad rambling of an old, broken down Asian cowboy.  Or Twanky, as some have called me in the past.