"Soldiers Are Not Heroes"

I was appalled this evening to be invited to a group on facebook titled "please join to remove the group 'soldiers are not heroes'".  Not because people wanted this group gone, but because this group actually existed, and has 3,000 or so members.  I was even more appalled to learn there are not 1 but 2 of these groups on facebook, the other titling them as "tools of war".

You may disagree with this war all you'd like and the reasons, or as some see it, lack there of, that we're in it.  You may disagree with the way it came into being.  You may not like our president, our politics, our views, or even our language.  But you must obviously enjoy our freedoms since you use them so liberally.  One of the status updates to this group was that in order to be a hero you need to go above and beyond the call of duty, and another stating that wearing a uniform does not make you a hero.  Well, someone explain to me how they have not gone above and beyond the call of duty?  They are not required to join our military.  They are not required to fight for your right to remain ignorant.  They are not required to sign up to possibly lose their life, their family, or their loved ones.  They are not required to be at work 24/7 while deployed and still get paid less at a per hour basis than you get at your no skills required job flipping burgers and still have all your extra time to see to it people support you in your cause to not be thankful for what these men and woman are fighting for on your behalf.  If you ask me, that's above and beyond.  And as far as wearing that uniform...until you've been in one you'll never realize that they're not, actually, all that comfortable.  You ask any of those boys and girls what they'd rather be in...combat boots tied so tightly around their ankles so as to not let insects, scorpions, and spiders in that they get bruises up their calves, or their sweatpants and I'm pretty sure sweatpants will win every time.  To be in a uniform they've worn 4 days straight because their on mission and don't have the luxury of a home cooked breakfast each morning, followed by a hot shower, and a fresh set of BDU's because that would be carrying far more than they need to be effective at their job.

I don't care if you do or don't support this war, our president, or decisions made on your behalf...but if you're enjoying a roof over your head, freedom to spew whatever ignorant statements come out of your head, and not having to be in the desert for 18 months risking your life to possibly never see your loved ones again, you better damn well support the people fighting so that you don't have to.  That's not to say you have to believe it makes them heroes...but it certainly makes them better than you.