A reader writes:
A coworker of mine and I go round and round on this question. His view is that yes, they are heroes because something MIGHT or COULD harm them. My view is that for someone to be a hero they must do something heroric. Because someone joined the military because they had no other options and end up working on jeeps or pushing papers does not make them heros. Their job is important, but not heroic. To call them a hero deminishes those soldiers who DO heroic actions like jumping on a grenade to save another soldier's life.
Another writes:
I'm with Stephen Marche: a hero is someone who does something heroic, whether that be rescuing a buddy on the battlefield, finding a cure for disease, or defending the rights of the unjustly accused. The problem with Ari Kohen's calculus is that even without a draft, there is no way of knowing how many soldiers, if any, join the military out of pure patriotism. Many soldiers join the military because of lack of economic opportunity at home, or because they're bored, or for any number of other reasons, none of which are particularly heroic (see here for a good article on the subject).
Let's also distinguish between the grunts that are trudging through the sands of Afghanistan, and the officers who went to West Point and are likely never to be on the business end of a weapon in a real-life situation, or the Air Force intelligence personnel (like my nephew) who spends his life in front of a computer screen in McLean, Virginia. He joined because he liked the structure and discipline of the military, not out of any great need to defend his country.
Finally, even if a person joins out of pure patriotism (like Pat Tillman, who probably now regrets his decision) why should I bestow hero status on that person merely for having joined? What if that person's values that make him want to join are not shared with me? If people who fight wars are all heroes, then maybe what the world really needs is fewer heroes and more cowards.
Another:
Speaking as someone who had alternatives but instead enlisted and served nearly five years from 1967 through most of 1971, including three tours in Vietnam: No, enlisting does not make one a hero. A hero is someone who had no choice but who did the job once drafted. A hero is someone who moved to a different culture to avoid killing people. A hero is like my friend Brad who, smarter than I at the time and less fooled by the lies, used boiling water, vodka, and a sharp knife to amputate his own trigger finger to avoid having to fight someone else's war.
Oof.
The Dish 