American Soldiers are Superheroes

Marcus Shaw

They fly, they fight, and they give their best. Secretly, every single American soldier wears an S on their chest.

What makes a solider a superhero?

Stan Lee, the creator of the amazing Marvel superheroes, defines a superhero as someone who performs heroic deeds in a way that a normal person cannot. Without a doubt, every single member of the US military personnel fits this definition of a superhero.

Who else is willing to sacrifice their time to attend the miserable experience of a service academy or boot camp to face the possibility of death on a battlefield for their country at an age as young as 17?

My father is the embodiment of the heroic qualities of a soldier. He has selflessly served our country since he was 17 years old. In 2006, he was called to take the fight to Iraq. He did not hesitate to answer the call, even with the eight-year-old son and the four-year-old daughter he was leaving behind. Only a true hero could trade the stunning beaches and rejuvenating palm trees of California, where we lived in 2006, for the deserts of Iraq. Since 2001, over 2.5 million heroes have gone to war so that we don’t have to fight in their place.

Our soldiers don’t only work to protect the citizens of the United States. They also work to save the lives of everyone around the world. Saddam Hussein was the unquestioned tyrant of Iraq who tortured and even murdered his own people. My dad and other soldiers worked to bring Saddam Hussein to justice. American soldiers liberated the Iraqi people from a man who is responsible for over 300,000 deaths. Before this scum had been exterminated, Iraq was plagued by war, genocide, and a grueling dictatorship. Saddam Hussein, the personification of evil, in one case, killed 42 merchants in the name of inflation control. Our American soldiers brought forth justice by killing Saddam Hussein because heroes always defeat the bad guys for the greater good.

Fortunately, my dad returned to the United States without any injuries, but that cannot be said for every soldier that serves. More than 48,000 servicemen and women have been physically injured in post 9/11 military conflicts. There are 400,000 service members estimated to live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 are estimated to have experienced traumatic brain injuries while deployed. Soldiers understand the risks associated with the job but continue to do it diligently and faithfully, as only a hero could.
Both superheroes and soldiers are constant symbols of strength even when they suffer. Veterans suffer in silence; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that 49,933 veterans are homeless on any given night. Waking up each morning and knowing that you have to brace the cold world that you once protected all night long requires a sense of determination that most humans don’t possess.

The most heroic quality of soldiers is their willingness to put their lives on the line for justice. Sgt. Denis Weichel’s story is one of sacrifice and bravery, which are essential qualities of a hero. Soon after the Twin Towers were attacked, he answered the call of duty and joined the National Guard in 2001. While deployed in Afghanistan, he saw a few little girls picking up shell casings, which are recycled in Afghanistan for money, while an armored truck was fast approaching. He lifted the little girls out of the way when one Afghan girl darted back into the street to grab some more casings. He jumped in front of the 16-ton armored truck to push her out of the way of its path. He succeeded and lost his life in the process. Sgt. Denis Weichel paid the ultimate sacrifice that so many other soldiers also pay, while many other human beings don’t have the courage to do the same.

Monica Brown is an 18-year-old American soldier who saved the lives of two soldiers. When her vehicle exploded due to an improvised explosive, she fearlessly worked to apply medical aid to two of her fellow soldiers that were in the vehicle. As machine gun fire rained around her and explosive ammo from the vehicle began exploding, Monica shielded the wounded with her body, like Super Woman. She was able to escape with the wounded and save their lives.

These are just two stories of heroism performed by American soldiers. These two acts of selflessness and sacrifice saved lives. This is why American soldiers are heroes. They fight and make sacrifices that no one else can because they love us. They love us enough to sacrifice their lives for each and every one of us.

Sources:
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/mission/who-we-serve.aspx
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/hero-u-s-soldier-gives-life-to-save-afghan-girl/

The Bully of the World

Jocelyn Dulany

“If you love your freedom, thank my Marine.” In red, white and blue, these words are stuck on the bumper of my aunt’s old Toyota Corolla, parked on her driveway in the depths of Carol County, Maryland. It has become a nationwide fad to think of the United States military and its soldiers as heroes who “protect” the American people from the enemy.

But is our freedom really in jeopardy? Of course not. Certainly not by the doings of impoverished Middle Eastern nations. The freedom of the American public hasn’t been in question for over 200 years. Those who claim to worry about America’s freedom being impeded should have a look at incarceration rates instead. While the United States represents about 4.4 percent of the world’s population, it houses around 22 percent of the world’s prisoners. Talk about a loss of freedom.

Approximately 210,000 Afghan, Iraqi, and Pakistani civilians have died as a direct result of war. These deaths from malnutrition, a damaged health care system, and a destructive environment far outnumber deaths from combat. Unfathomable to the average American, 42% of Afghan people live on less than $1 a day. Sure I get it; nobody wants to desert their families, endure extremely physically strenuous training, and risk being killed for nothing. Starting with the Vietnam War, to encourage men to join the military, and to lessen the dread in fresh draftees, soldiers were portrayed as heroes who were worth the utmost respect and praise. Considering 25% of total American forces were draftees in the Vietnam War, the men need an incentive. But modern soldiers are NOT heroes.

On September 11, 2001, just under 3,000 Americans were killed. The events of 9/11 are a very common argument defending the United States’ involvement in the Middle East. The freedoms of some Americans were in fact taken away on that day. It’s true that we were attacked by a group of Muslim radicals. We can all agree that this was a heinous act of violence that shouldn’t be defended. However, for every American killed by a Muslim, there are 20 million Muslims killed by Americans. This is a staggering statistic. Though we had the right intentions in some cases (as in the first Gulf War), our actions were completely indefensible, maybe even criminal, in others. When American soldiers kill countless people in other countries we surely can expect some revenge-seeking. Think of our rage and our actions after September 11. Fifteen of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis. At the time, the US military was present in the Saudi Kingdom. Imagine camouflage tanks rolling down the streets of your community, driven by the soldiers from another country, armed and intimidating. Wouldn’t you be outraged if another country’s military was rolling down your block? Most Americans are selfish enough to disregard that idea, like my uncle, for instance.

Looking at my family tree, one could assume the military is quite a fad between my relatives and me. My uncle, Timothy, who is now in his late twenties, joined the military when he was 18. Timmy grew up in Taneytown, Maryland, a small Republican town, in an average sized home with a cheerful wrap around porch decorated with pink impatiens in hanging baskets, scattered tricycles and a green porch swing that creaked playfully with every push. He lived with his two brothers and his parents, (my grandparents). Timmy was my favorite uncle, of the three. He was kind and patient, and me, being a hyper, sticky-fingered kid, needed someone like him. But my uncle Timmy struggled in high school. His brother became involved with drugs and alcohol, which became an added stressor in Timmy’s life. Due to his lack of academic success, my Uncle Timmy was nothing short of hopeless and he desperately needed an escape, so he experimented with a type of drug that changed who he was forever: the United States Marie Corps.

Contradictory to his hopes for an improved life, the military made Timmy into a blood-thirsty killer. He was ordered to disregard humanity. He was sent to Afghanistan and was shot in the ankle during combat. He laughed when he saw the sickening, now-banned YouTube video of a couple marines urinating on a dead Iraqi man. He arrived home with a hole in his ankle and one in is heart, too. Like the family of that Iraqi man who lost their father, husband, or grandfather, my family lost Timmy. My uncle Timmy became a red-faced marine. Today, he chain smokes cigarettes and drinks boxes Miller Lite. He’s impatient with his children and cusses like, well, a Marine.

Though my uncle is just one person, 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD and/or depression. What an unnecessary waste of young men and women. We’re threatened by a nation that ranks 169th on the United Nations’ Human Development Index. The United States is 5th on that list. No entire Middle Eastern nation dreams of harming the United States (aside from small terrorist groups), but instead, they’re looking for the United States to stop harming them. A common misconception is that other countries hate the United States for our freedom. How conceited of us. Canada has freedom. Japan, The United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Greenland, France, and over 180 other sovereign nations all have freedom.

Let’s focus on solving the problems within our own nation for now, shall we? Obama composed a free college tuition plan that would cost 80 billion dollars over 10 years. Does that seem costly to you? That’s the cost of about 8 months of war in Iraq. In terms of the tuition-free plan, 8 billion dollars every year costs nothing but 33 dollars per year to the average American tax payer. We should be focusing on our own country’s education, not on bombing schools in another. After this becomes a primary goal of America, mindlessly killing people housed in one of the poorest nations in the world will sound as painful as it really is.

Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/30/does-the-united-states-really-have-five-percent-of-worlds-population-and-one-quarter-of-the-worlds-prisoners/
http://www.veteransandptsd.com/PTSD-statistics.html
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/fifteen-of-the-19-hijackers-were-citizens-of-saudi-arabia-but-u-s-judge-drops-country-as-defendant-to-9-11-lawsuit
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/unworthy-victims-western-wars-have-killed-four-million-muslims-1990-39149394
http://www.nationalvietnamveteransfoundation.org/statistics.htm