E-mail:
“Mr. Lowry,
Great column on ‘the death of heroism.’ What goes unmentioned in your column, but which is surely an important factor, is the role that a man like John Kerry plays in this whole dynamic. Here is a man so embarrassed by his own service that he felt compelled to elevate his opposition to the war to a level of ‘heroism’ on a par with, or even above that of his participation in the war itself. To the extent that Kerry and his myriad acolytes in the press and televised media express gratitude or admiration for those who serve in the military, it is manifestly for their sacrifice in having served, not their success in so doing. They want to say ‘Thank you for having suffered’ or ‘Pity be upon you for having had to follow the orders of a misguided commander’ but never ‘Thank you for having done well at the job of killing the enemy, and protecting our country.’”