The only question here is: Should the award of the medal of honor be some sort of "right", or a matter of lobbying and politics (like, say, the Oscar for best picture). The question answers itself.
There is a fundamental problem here. I am talking bout this story from the "Anti-American, Despicable Associated Press" (always use complete, official name on first reference):
"A Marine sergeant singled out by President Bush for throwing his body on a grenade to save his comrades in Iraq will receive the prestigious Navy Cross rather than the nation's highest military award, military officials said"
Point one: Does failure to get the medal of honor mean this marine is not a "hero". Of course not. Point 2: The President does not determine who gets the medal of honor, and should not. Point 3: The day the despicable AP, and mainstream media, determine who gets the medal of honor is the day the award becomes worthless. Pont 4: It is UNSEEMLY to LOBBY for a certain medal, beyond the medal write up, and the despicable mainstream media has no business putting the family in this position of seeming to be expressing sour grapes.
Many marines who received no medals at all were as heroic as this marine. Probably, a number of soldiers who HAVE received the Medal of Honor were not as heroic as this marine. So what. You simply can't start turning the awarding of medals into a political, lobbying football.
The idea is NOT to limit "heroes" to Medal of Honor winners. That is ridiculous. The idea is to limit Medal of Honor winners to a limited number of heroes who everyone agrees are deserving of the very HIGHEST honor we have to bestow. Any number of marines are heroes--almost all of them, in fact.
That is what is WRONG with the approach of the despicable AP, which is never right. You can pick out almost any act of heroism and start asking why it did not deserve a "higher" medal. It DEMEANS the medal itself, and the process of awarding it, to turn the process into a political lobbying game. It further DEMANS the family for a media outlet like the despicable AP to ask whether they are "disappointed". It is like being "disappointed" in not receiving the Heisman trophy for best football player of the year. It hardly diminishes your actual accomplishments not to receive an award received by so few.
This, of course, does not demean the despicable AP. That is impossible. The despicable AP has already demeaned itself beyond any dispute or hope of redemption.
This shows one of the things wrong with our society today. The Medal of Honor is a DISCRETIONARY, subjective award having nothing to do with whether you were a "hero". Short of some really terrible, illegitimate consideration preventing the award, this is not the kind of award you can second guess without discrediting the second guesser (again, it being imporssible to further discredit the despicable AP).
Bottom line: Medals should not be politicized and the AP is despicable. I have never been on firmer ground in tow assertions in my life.
P.S. I have absolutely no doubt that the marine in question was a hero, and deserved the mention by the President. The "extent" of his heroism is irrelevant to me, as it should be to you. At this level of heroism, distinctions are pretty much ridiculous. However, if we are going to have the Medal of Honor as a medal almost impossible to get, and similar distinctions among "lower" medals for heroism, we have to avoid turning the award of the medal into a political thing.
P.S. Am I good or what? I saw it coming. The latest version of the above story, AFTER I wrote the aobve entry, is: "Mother to ask Congress to Award Son Medal of Honor"? Are we REALLY going to start turning the award of military medals into a political game? If it happens, it will be more evidence we are going stark, raving nuts. Nope. I don't care if this deceased marine got the Medal of Honor or not. In fact, I thik that is the point of making this a political "issue". Who is really going to say that this mareine does not "deserve" it. Even if there are reasons he does not deserve it, does anyone really want to fight a political battle diminishing his death? Of course not. But I DO care about the PROCESS. I stand by the entry above. Politicizing the awarding of military medals is a BAD MISTAKE, on everny level (including military discipline and morale). That is what this is about. It is not about the deceased marine, who I am perfectly willing to stiputlate is a hero.
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