“Placing soldiers and veterans on this kind of pedestal is a relatively new phenomenon.”
Oh.
Seriously?
It must suck to be this guy.
No appreciation for monuments, memorials, tributes, remembrances, epic poems, great literature. etc.
That's not what he's saying. He's saying that just joining the Army and wearing the uniform, without any other action, doesn't make one a "hero".
That's not really a radical notion. Joining is admirable, but it isn't heroic. Treating everyone that wore a uniform as a hero really undermines those who really were heroes, because of their action under fire or other reasons.
No appreciation for monuments, memorials, tributes, remembrances, epic poems, great literature. etc.
...everybody knows all the monuments at Gettysburg commemorate the townspeople...
...odd, though, how they all seem to be wearing military uniforms and have the same names as contemporary military notables...