What makes someone a hero?
It seems like it's a simple question, but MSNBC host Chris Hayes caused a firestorm when he said on Memorial Day weekend that he was uncomfortable calling people heroes just because they served in the military.
"Why do I feel so uncomfortable about the word 'hero'? I feel uncomfortable about the word hero because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war," Hayes said Sunday on MSNBC. "I don’t want to obviously desecrate or disrespect the memory of anyone that’s fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism, you know, hail of gunfire, rescuing fellow soldiers and things like that. But it seems to me that we marshal this word in a way that is problematic. But maybe I’m wrong about that."
Hayes' remarks immediately sparked a backlash, with some saying it was inappropriate to say such things about those putting their lives on the line to fight for their country.
Hayes issued an apology Monday, saying he understood why people were angry that someone who had never served or dealt with the cost of wars would make such a statement. His apology reads:
"On Sunday, in discussing the uses of the word 'hero' to describe those members of the armed forces who have given their lives, I don't think I lived up to the standards of rigor, respect and empathy for those affected by the issues we discuss that I've set for myself. I am deeply sorry for that.
"As many have rightly pointed out, it's very easy for me, a TV host, to opine about the people who fight our wars, having never dodged a bullet or guarded a post or walked a mile in their boots. Of course, that is true of the overwhelming majority of our nation's citizens as a whole. One of the points made during Sunday's show was just how removed most Americans are from the wars we fight, how small a percentage of our population is asked to shoulder the entire burden and how easy it becomes to never read the names of those who are wounded and fight and die, to not ask questions about the direction of our strategy in Afghanistan, and to assuage our own collective guilt about this disconnect with a pro-forma ritual that we observe briefly before returning to our barbecues.
"But in seeking to discuss the civilian-military divide and the social distance between those who fight and those who don't, I ended up reinforcing it, conforming to a stereotype of a removed pundit whose views are not anchored in the very real and very wrenching experience of this long decade of war. And for that I am truly sorry."
Hayes' remarks beg the question: Who exactly is a hero? We'd like to hear from you. We'd like you to sound off in the comments below or hit the button below to send a video comment to iReport. Do you think Hayes was out of line in his comments? Do you understand what he was saying?
Must you have served in combat to be a hero? Does enlisting alone make you one? Should that word be reserved for the military? Or does it apply to people who put themselves above others?
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Totally agree, "hero worship' has gone over-the-top since 9/11. People called me a hero because I cleaned anthrax out of the USPS buildings in '01. It's utter BS.
You do not have to be in the military to be a hero. A hero is an individual who acts with selflessness for the interest of others. An individual willing to don the uniform of his country and fight to protect the beliefs and freedoms of his fellow citizens is at a minimum heroic in nature and deserving of our respect. There is, however, always a dichotomy between the nature of the warrior and his cause. Americans who fought in World War II are seen as heroic liberators. Those who fought in Vietnam often overlooked. The difference based in the "approval rating" for the wars. The individuals fought for the same ideals and deserve similar respect yet our perception is clouded. As with our Civil War...there are two sides to every war. One nation's hero...sacked and burned Atlanta.
I understand what the man was trying to say. I retired from the US Army, and I served in Desert Storm so I have no problem saying it. Not every soldier is a hero, most of them are just soldiers. The grand mayority have joined to reap the benefits of serving, not for patriotic reasons. When we sign a contract, we must abide by what the contract requires of us. The job of soldiers is to follow the lawful orders of those appointed over them. Few of them go well beyond their call of duty, risking their lives and limbs to save or protect others. These few are the heros. Police officers, firefighters, etc. who go beyond what is required of them and risk their own safety are heroes. The rest are just doing their job, the one they freely chose and for which they are getting paid.
Chris is correct. Especially when it comes to Romney calling poc walker a hero. Recall walker.
Your question is "Who exactly is a hero?" Well, it sure as hell isn't Chris Hayes.
I was in the military and imho many of the people I served with were definitely not heroes. As much as the left has their sacred cows and they use them to try to bludgeon anyone who crosses them so too do the right. Hayes may not have used the best wording and it was definitely bad timing (leave Memorial Day for what it was intended for) but overall he was completely right.
You served where and in what capacity? I doubt it was under fire...........
The word "hero" is too easily applied. Not everyone who joins the military is necessarily a hero, although their service is noble and appreciated. To apply the term to every who serves diminishes the meaning of the word, the two most appropriate being:
1. a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
What's more troubling is the inability to discuss the meaning of heroism without being labeled unpatriotic or subversive.
Amen!
Chris Hayes represents today's media. Sheltered. That's it in one word. Sheltered.
Chris Hayes, a military hero is any person who wears the uniform in the protection of the USA. There are many like you Mr. Hayes who will take the high ground against war and blame it on the soilders, we saw this in the Vietnam conflict. If you want to place blame, place it on the government. If you don't agree with war, thats OK, but these heros are protecting your right to not agree!
At no time did he claim that war was the fault of the soldiers. I have to agree with his ACTUAL point that the term of hero is being used as a way to justify any military action taken by the government. We as Americans have gotten into the point of labeling anyone who serves in the military as heroes. I don't agree with that distinction and maintain that it's a form of propaganda. There are many people in our military who deserve the moniker of hero; however, there are lots of pieces of garbage in our military as well. This is no different from any other job available. The only way that I would be interested in universally labeling all those in military service as heroes is if they did not receive a salary or benefits. At that point we can say that they are fighting for their country's interests (not to be confused with "fighting for their country" or "fighting of our freed") and not a paycheck. Otherwise lay off of Chris.
Time for your meds, dear...
During a panel on Tuesday's NBC Today, liberal pundits Star Jones, Donny Deutsch and Nancy Snyderman condemned left-wing MSNBC host Chris Hayes for suggesting fallen U.S. troops are not heroes. Deutsch was the strongest in denouncing Hayes: "I hope that he doesn't get more viewers as a result of this...this guy is like a – if you've seen him...he looks like a weenie."
Co-host Matt Lauer actually attempted to defend Hayes: "I'm not sure he was criticizing those young men and women. He was just saying that the word is overused." The panelists would have none of it. Snyderman declared: "But he's wrong....Because you know what? The four of us aren't fighting those wars. So these people are heroes to me." Jones added: "When it's a dead soldier, it's not overused."
Jones was clearly appalled by the offensive comments: "...the person that he [Hayes] was talking to was the officer whose job it was to call the families of fallen soldiers. Could you be more inappropriate on Memorial Day?" Snyderman voiced her disgust as well: "To criticize the young men and women who put themselves in harm's way to protect us and then cheapen it..."
After Lauer quoted Hayes's apology for the remarks, Snyderman responded: "Where was that eloquence on the front hand?" Jones reiterated: "You don't say this on Memorial Day."
Wasn't it the liberal thing to do to count and display the number of casualties of Iraq and Afghanistan while Bush was in office? Everyday, CNN and NBC telling us how many are killed and maimed (it all stopped of course the day Obama took office). They made it seem like everyone was dying over there. But these are not heroes, now?
My son joined the military based on fantasies of manhood and the promise of being taken care of. It was an alternative to no jobs here at home. He is a good man and I am proud of him, but he is no hero. Perhaps he will be called into a situation where he must act heroic, and I hope he draws on his strength of character to do what is right and that God will protect and guide him. I understand and agree with Haye's statements, both his first and his second.
The use of "begs the question" in the above story is wrong. It should not be used as "asks the question." poor editing reenforces this practice.
I just spent 6 years in the military, deployed to Iraq once. I actually understand where this host is coming from, though I think he has no place saying it himself, least of all around Memorial Day. I don't consider myself a hero, and there are plenty of people I served with who I wouldn't necessarily call heroes either. There are absolutely heroes out there, and then there are just people like me who just did their job to support those real heroes.
And no, people who join the military are not killers. That's a very easy thing to say for people who don't like the wars that are going on but don't make the effort to really understand them.
I agree with Rick's statements.
Does being a dishwasher in the millitary make you a hero?