So, it seems being a soldier is glamourous again.
I shouldn't be surprised. It is a generous and noble thing to risk your life for your country. And historically, soldiers have been admired nearly all the time.
It is only recently, when war became capable of destroying all life on the planet, that we have had mixed feelings about our own soldiers.
And I think it was a mistake to vilify the veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars. In case of real danger to our country, they were demonstrating the virtues we would need. Better to honor the men and women we need.
But it does seem a little odd, coming off several decades of bad press, to see the military canonized again.
And do we need to proceed to glorifying war? Is it fun and exciting to kill people and destroy property? Are we ready to start counting our enemies as less human than ourselves? Were our efforts towards human rights and tolerance all an illusion?
So, yes, honor the men and women who serve. But war -- war is at best a regrettable necessity.
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