T. Kelley
Professor Fox
English II, 11 am
Due: 30 Nov 2012
Heroes
After more than 10 years of combat, the media has given many soldiers the title of hero. Jessica Lynch was one Soldier who was given the title hero. Was she truly a hero? What actions merited such a label? Pat Tillman also received the coveted title of hero, despite much controversy. Pat Tillman’s label of heroism occurred because of his strong social status. However, the word hero in Tillman’s case was misused to disguise actual events or cover up the misfortunes of war. Shoshona Johnson would be called a hero as well. Shoshana Johnson and Lynch were captured the same day but because of race, one hero would receive more accolades than the other. These soldiers wanted to share the truth, but media’s opportunity to transform them into hero took precedence. All of these heroes received differential treatment based on their gender, race or social status.
Jessica Lynch seemed to be the perfect candidate to depict as an American Hero. Lynch is 5’6, 130 lbs. with blonde hair and blue eyes (Fluharty). With Barbie doll like qualities, Jessica not only served as an American Soldier, but possessed the beauty necessary to attract attention of viewers and develop a great story. The War on Terrorism has allowed news anchors to televise and participate in more combat related events than ever before, yet truth is often skewed to give a better news line story. The events that led to her capture in Iraq in 2003 were exaggerated from the very beginning. Reports stated that the ambush resulted in “…Jessica Lynch being taken prisoner full of stab wounds and bullet holes, and she was whisked off to a ragged Iraqi hospital and held for eight days by vicious Iraqi guards while being ostensibly abused,..” (Morford). This created a huge stir within the United States.
It was uncommon to see a woman taken captive in combat. Surely, women don’t serve in combat roles in the military and if they did, could they protect themselves from terrorists? These were the exact questions the media wanted to answer in their effort to label Jessica Lynch a hero. As reported by Christopher Taylor, “There were calls for her to be awarded various medals, there was controversy over a woman being in a combat situation, and the media had finally found a hero in the Iraq war; a woman! Only, almost everything that was reported about her turned out to be wrong” (Taylor). The media’s immediate recognition given to Jessica Lynch was based heavily on her gender. Iraq wasn’t a war that had much popularity when it was approved. The twenty-four hour coverage of Iraq did nothing more than remind Americans that we were vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Day after day, reporters would show the collateral damage that occurred from the bomb strikes. There was nothing positive to report on. Once Lynch’s convoy was attacked, reporters would shift from reporting about collateral damage to reporting on the American Soldiers who have been killed, injured and captured. Furthermore, the media was looking for a positive story to spark new attention for viewers. The day to day reporting of combat began to lose its appeal to viewers and only showed American dominance on the battlefield. That is, of course, until a white, blonde haired, blue-eyed female Soldier transformed the headlines and was ideal candidate to be labeled the next generation’s hero for females. The opportunity Lynch provided for the media was just the break the media were looking for. This story could inspire other females to serve in the military and would furthermore balance the gap of male and female equality within their perspective combat roles. However, Jessica Lynch wouldn’t participate with media and never accepted the coveted title hero that was given to her. Jessica Lynch stated in front of Congress, “… I did not fight to the end and don’t need to be labeled a hero. There were real heroes that fought to the end that day, but I was not one of them. Why the media made such stories about me is unknown (WVPB)”. Jessica Lynch wanted to tell the truth and didn’t want to discredit her fallen soldiers by predicating false claims for her own gain or status. There is more to honor than being a male or female; honor should be solely based on merit and gender should not play a role for any qualification.
What is the definition of a hero? This definition is ever changing and truly resides in the eye of the beholder. The media attempts to define who is and is not a hero because they have the power of choice when running the tape. If television viewers regularly accept what is put on television then why should the media attempt to make a change? Many television networks conduct approval rating tests randomly to see if they are meeting the intent of the audience. This approval rating allows the news reporters to report what the viewer’s want to see. As long as whites are the majority, more white characters will be on television. It keeps the television ratings high, but takes away from a true heroes often times because of their race. Shoshona Johnson is a perfect example of how media separates heroes by race. Johnson was captured the same day as Lynch, but many may have never known that. How could Johnson be less of a hero than Jessica Lynch? Jessica Lynch, as stated above, didn’t want to be categorized a hero, but recognized the need to address others as heroes. Johnson was recognized as a hero, but received far less recognition than Jessica because of her skin color. Johnson is a black woman, who appears slightly overweight and does not have the beautiful qualities that are often displayed in magazines or on television. However, her actions were nothing short of a heroic response. T.D. Allman stated, “Shoshana was more of a hero than Jessica. She fought against the enemy and was shot twice resulting in serious injury. Yet, Jessica received the lucrative book deal, interview with Diane Sawyer and photographs with President Bush. In general, those who voted for President Bush did not support affirmative action, but the truth is Shoshana wasn’t in any of the pictures with Jessica Lynch” (Allman 247). The media had already found the model hero, Jessica Lynch, for the next generation and regardless of Johnson’s actions, she failed to meet the Barbie doll standards that grabbed the attention of viewers. Unfortunately, the media would rather proclaim false evidence to develop a good story then to glorify a true hero because of race.
Pat Tillman is another soldier who received the title hero, but under very different circumstances. He was an extremely well-known football player before he entered the U.S. Army. Many people look at professional athletes as heroes or role models. Pat Tillman had received the title hero because of his ability to play football at the highest level. Tillman may have earned many titles playing football, but he believed that he had not done enough for his country. Pat Tillman stated in an interview, “…family members before me have served in WWII during Pearl Harbor and I really haven’t done a damn thing. I have never laid it all on the line for this country or flag. I have a great deal of respect to those who have” (TGriffin You Tube). Tillman’s statement displays the love for his country and flag. After joining the military, the media followed Pat Tillman extensively until his death in Afghanistan in 2004. Immediately, Gen. Stanley McChrystal would label Pat Tillman a hero when he was announced killed in action (TGriffin You Tube). Because of Pat Tillman’s social stature and his ever-changing hero status the Tillman family wanted more than a few honorable awards and the title of hero being applied to Pat’s name. They wanted the truth about the occurrence of events that led to Pat’s death. Kevin Tillman stated, “…writing a Silver Star award before receiving an eye witness statement, falsifying sworn statement’s…delivering false information at a publicly televised funeral is not an error in judgment but rather an intentional falsehood that fit the highest definition of fraud” (TGriffin You Tube). Even after Pat was able to serve his country honorably his actions did not merit the title hero. Pat Tillman was killed by fratricide (TGriffin You Tube). However, due to the General’s infectious words the media made multiple stories of Pat Tillman that personified his heroism in Afghanistan. This angered the Tillman family. Without the true events of Pat Tillman’s death, how could anyone label him anything other than a Soldier who was killed in Afghanistan? Only when the false evidence was revealed could the hero status be removed. How would the media remove this powerful title that was given to Pat Tillman? They couldn’t and the title remains with Pat Tillman today. Pat Tillman’s social stature was elevated because of his play on the football field. He was followed more extensively than any other Soldier in the 21st century. He personified selfless-service and wanted nothing more than to support his country in time of war. Undoubtedly, his social stature created fear among Officer’s in the US ARMY who had to explain that Pat Tillman’s death was fratricide. This will never take away the service that Pat Tillman gave for this country. However, many will remember that the military falsified documents and fabricated lies to protect his social status. Gender, race and social status should be separated when profiling a hero. Many look for someone to emulate. Within the diverse society that exists within the US, too many are culturally challenged and find themselves pulling for those that are similar to them. Americans are highly competitive and believe that they are the best country in the world. Because of this ego, many want to emulate someone who fits a similar profile to themselves. Many people want to go beyond the barriers and set new limits. By profiling heroes into separate groups the media gives the viewers an opportunity to choose their hero. Heroes are people who have responded to circumstances or situations that most would not. There is no reason to separate one hero from another, in any circumstance. The title hero should not be applied to someone simply because they are beautiful, have the same skin color as the majority rather than the minority or played the game of football extremely well. Merit should be the only basis for someone to receive such a title. To use the word Hero, and then separate it’s title based off of gender, race or social status is absurd. Many do not want to be addressed a hero within the military and serve to sustain freedom. Others throw on military hats with trinkets to be recognized. The title hero always will be in the eyes of the beholders. Let’s just hope all filters are removed when someone receives such a title.

Works Cited

Allman, T. D. Rogue State Google Books. Nation Books, 2004.
Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=djHrWKM1wJ0C>.
Fluharty, Linda. "Jessica Lynch, POW - Iraqi Freedom - WVGenWeb Military Page.
" Jessica Lynch, POW - Iraqi Freedom - WVGenWeb Military Page. N.p., n.d.
Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.wvgenweb.org/wvmilitary/jlynchpow.htm>.
Morford, Mark. "The Big Lie Of Jessica Lynch." The Big Lie Of Jessica Lynch.
San Francisco Chronicle, Sept.-Oct. 2003. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0905-09.htm>.
Taylor, Christopher. "Word Around the Net: COMMON KNOWLEDGE: Jessica Lynch."
Word Around the Net. N.p., 05 July 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.wordaroundthenet.com/2012/07/common-knowledge-jessica-lynch.html>.
Griffin, Tyler. "Remembering Pat Tillman." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Feb. 2008. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBM2hiXRZA0>.