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Monday, March 23, 2009
W. Thomas Smith, Jr :: Townhall.com Columnist
America’s Ignorance of Her Heroes
by W. Thomas Smith, Jr
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During a recent commercial flight from Jacksonville (Fla.) to Baltimore, a flight attendant offered free drink coupons to any of the 150 passengers who could name just one of the five Medal of Honor recipients from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Awkward moments of silence followed until one man, Navy veteran Dale Shelton of Annapolis, Maryland, spoke up and named Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith.

Shelton was correct: Smith received the award posthumously in 2005 for his actions during the April 2003 battle for Baghdad airport.

No other passenger was able to name a recipient.

The flight attendant then asked the passengers to name an American Idol winner. “The cabin lit up like a pinball machine as 43 passengers scrambled to push their attendant call button,” according to a piece by the American Forces Press Service. “Passengers named various Idol winners.”

The flight attendant then announced there would not be any free drink coupons for that answer, adding that naming an American Idol winner was not worth a drink.

Good for the flight attendant. Shame on the passengers and what their ignorance says about our greater society

For the record, the other four Medal of Honor recipients – all of whom, like Smith, received the award posthumously for post-9/11 actions – are Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham (for actions in April 2004), Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy (June 2005), Navy SEAL Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor (Sept. 2006), and Army Spc. Ross McGinnis (Dec. 2006). Continued...
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About The Author
W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a former U.S. Marine rifle-squad leader and counterterrorism instructor. He is the author of six books, and he has covered war and conflict in the Balkans, on the West Bank, in Iraq, and Lebanon. Visit him online at http://www.uswriter.com.
 
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Reply # 1
Date: Mar 24, 2009 - 11:18 PM EST
Ignorance of Heroes
How about not only the ignorance of our heroes but about ignoring them as well.

All should note that in 1953 President Eisehnauer established the Salute To Heroes Inagural Ball which honors our Medal of Honor recipients. There were 48 Medal of Honor receipients at the 2009 ball who were sorely disappointed when President Obama ignored it and became the first President not to attend since its beginning. He and his wife chose instead to attend 10 other balls where more modern celebraties were in abundance.

So, no free drinks for Hussein and Michelle either.
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Reply # 2
Date: Mar 24, 2009 - 10:19 PM EST
Well
" Good for the flight attendant. Shame on the passengers and what their ignorance says about our greater society "
Ok, good for the flight attendant, but shame on the passengers ?
How about shame on the media and the politicians ?
I've listened to YEARS of left wing media hatred of the military, Bush and the republicans, and they've DENOUNCED all military personnel, and favored only one hero - and we find out she wasn't really a hero as they originally told it - she curled in a ball afraid on ther tarmac- as a the REAL HERO - a young man picked off the mortaring enemy one by one - and I fully believe the press knew it from the very beginning - and played it up for all they could.
Same with the football guy who died in Afghanistan, they now blame his death on, THE US MILITARY.
Shame on the passengers, my A$$ !
Shame on the press, and the politicians, who cowtow and coddle and smooch with the traitors - even as they are also, traitors(Murtha, amongst many others including Kerry, and the like). THAT'S WHERE the shame belongs.
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