On April 24th, there were congressional hearings regarding the overstating and fabrication of facts by the military regarding soldiers who died or were wounded in the line of duty. The lies that I talk about are specifically those regarding Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch. Pat Tillman, if you may not know, was a successful NFL star, who gave up a lucrative career worth millions of dollars to serve his country and join the military. He was assigned to Afghanistan. He died when he was shot by his own men (friendly fire), but the military covered up the reality of how he died, but instead made up a lie of how he died in battle when he was shot by enemy fire.

The other lie that was made up was that Jessica Lynch fought until she was wounded. The pentagon portrayed her as a hero who was courageous when her unit was ambushed. Unfortunately, this tale was not true, and the fact is that Jessica Lynch had her gun jammed and was knocked unconscious just as the fighting began.

So, what is point of this story? First, it is to acknowledge the fact that the military chose to embellish and even lie in order to portray these two individuals in a more heroic role.

But the main point is, why do you even need to embellish the facts? I think, and I know many share this viewpoint, it’s heroic enough when a soldier goes to Iraq or any other battlefield. The fact that they are defending and doing what they do in the name of freedom and their love for their country and its people is enough for me to see them as heroes. I don’t need made up stories, because when I see a soldier marching towards that plane, knowing that they are going to the front lines, that is worthy enough of praise and deep gratitude.

Do we really need to invent stories, before we realize that these soldiers are heroes even before they arrive on the battlefield.