“American Homecomings” Should Celebrate Our Mighty Military Heroes

There was an article in the Marin Independent Journal this past week about an upcoming series of stories by military veterans. The project is called "American Homecoming," presented by the Bay Area News Group, and other Digital First Media newspapers. The introduction article promotes stories that will “examine how soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are reclaiming their lives and how America treats its heroes.”  

Excuse me if I’m skeptical or cynical, but I smell a rat. I smell a liberal spin that will focus on the trouble soldiers who come back and were not rewarded in a positive sense by their experience in the military.

Yes, soldiers are scared, mentally and physically. They sacrifice their lives, which includes their bodies and their minds. They know that going in. It’s a sacrifice that extends the bounds of normal life. They are heroes for simply volunteering and going through the difficult rigors of boot camp and then confronting the enemies of America who are so demented they will blow up their own people to wreak havoc on their own society.

Yet, where is the spin about the positive character and moral fiber that is built through served time in the military? I have more than a few relatives who have served in the military. Each of them came back more mature, responsible, honorable, hard working and dedicated to living a good life and helping their fellow man.

All returning veterans deserved to share their stories, and that includes soldiers who come back better citizens for having served. Honor, pride, discipline, and bravery. These are also elements that soldiers learn and come home with. 

The horrors of war and battling an enemy so evil that it murders its own people will no doubt bring mental and physical scares that could well last a lifetime. Yet the balance that counters why the soldiers are sacrificing their lives and minds is downplayed or minimized. Hence, the trouble stories for those coming back is empathized over the good they have brought to the world and the majority of the soldiers who serve and move on quickly to productive and normal lives.

So please, Independent Journal. For each story you give us about a troubled veteran who has a hard time adapting to his old life, or for the stories we hear about the soldiers who lose it and indiscriminately murder civilians, please report on the grand majority of the soldiers who make the world a better place for serving, and come back to the U.S. and make not only their lives something to be proud of, but also make the world a better place.