All Men are Created Equal... But are Not Equal in Life

I have been struggling to find the appropriate words to express my distress about how the news and details of the Chinook Fallen Heroes of last week has been handled by the politicians and the msm. I have come up short but, as always, some of our military - including veterans - who I enormously respect have stepped up, and written EXACTLY how I feel.

From War on Terror News:

Thursday, August 11, 2011

All Men are Created Equal... But are Not Equal in Life

Like most of America, I cringed when I heard that a Chinook with many members of Seal Team 6 had exploded in Afghanistan. The enemy had gotten lucky on that day. These men had known the risks. They have a long history of successes that we won't likely know. Their names are not classified, but their missions have been.

I cringed because someone decided to report the information that it was Seal Team 6. Someone else decided to claim to know and tell the world how many members of Seal Team 6 there are. Experts filled the space on the idiot box proving how much they knew about things no one else knew. I don't know how many men serve on Seal Team 6, how many have served on it, or how many missions they've successfully completed. I do know they exist, that they live a life of danger, and routinely defeat the enemy.

There was no need for DoD to release that it was ST6. There was no need for the media to speculate that it was ST6. It would have been sufficient to say they were Navy, or perhaps even that they were Seals. They lived their lives in secrecy. They risked their lives in secrecy. They did not accept fame for their deeds. They preferred success to fame.

They did not ask for their deaths to become a campaign stop and photo opportunity for a politician. Their families specifically asked that it not become a media event.

All men are created equal. On the day these men were born, they were no more, no less entitled to anything than anybody else. On the day these men were born, they were not heroes. Over the course of the next 18 years, their parents instilled in them values that led them to enlist in the US Navy, US Army, or US Air Force. And these men asked for, accepted, and overcame ever greater challenges.

On the day they made the ultimate sacrifice, they were no longer equal with other Seals. They were not equal with every other Service Member. They were not equal with every other American. ...

WOTN has much more to say, and if you read nothing else today (or any other day for that matter, ) please go read this here. Read it, bookmark it, and REMEMBER.