PONDERING PVT LYNCH
I was reading about the honorable discharge of Pvt. Jessica Lynch today. I don't know if it's unique to this country or maybe it's just human nature but something struck me. Pvt. Lynch is almost universally lauded as a "national hero" (Associated Press) or some variation of that theme. Everyone knows who she is. She got a big movie of the week deal and a book deal. A parade in her honor. The whole shebang.

Now, I have nothing against her. I don't even know her. I have no reason to believe she's anything other than a pleasant person, which is likely the case since she wants to be a kindergarten teacher. But the whole deal with her being canonized bothers me a little. How did she become toast of the town? By becoming a prisoner of war. Her group made a wrong turn, got into an accident and was captured. They made a mistake. This doesn't mean they're horrible people or stupid; in a difficult situation like war, people will make mistakes. But why is she being lauded when the only reason the public knows who she is is because of that mistake? Simply put, if her unit hadn't made the error and if she hadn't been captured, no one would know who she is?

As for the people who actually did something, the special forces unit that rescued her, no one knows who they are. Regardless of allegations that the Pentagon unnecessarily melodramatized her rescue, the fact remains that the special forces unit had a job to do and executed it well. Yet the members of that unit remain unknown. No movie deal. No book deal. No appearance on Good Morning America. No cover of TIME or Newsweek. No mess up = no glory? If firemen pulled a child out of a burning building, wouldn't it seem weird if they held a ceremony to honor the child but not the firemen?

I think the rah-rah military thing is massively overdone. But if it's going to be occur, why omit those who most deserve it?