I dunno, maybe it's just me ... admittedly a big old pacifist p--y ... but I believe having a 67 ton tank role over you in a foxhole in Iraq ... makes you eligible for a Purple Heart, no matter who's driving the damned tank. Did anyone else have my reaction after reading about poor Marine Eichelberger? After the guy's town threw him a parade and made him a local hero -- he got a "whoops" notice and has to send the medal back. In these days of an all-volunteer army and people ripping off service people families with high interest loans, etc. -- oh yeah, and an endless war (on terror and other things) -- why not have a big tent definition for heroism?
So this is a cautionary tale. If somebody runs over you in Iraq, and you know it's not the enemy, but just your crazed buddy having some premature post-traumatic stress syndrome ... Don't ask, don't tell. Then go home and appreciate what bit of short-lived adulation you can.
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"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
Updated On: 2/9/05 at 01:36 PM