June 18, 2005
The Ravin' Raven
When I originally linked the Raven 42 after action report, I referred to it as Audie Murphy stuff, but actually wrote more about the role of the competence and confidence which our military's training produces. Now that these heroes have received the medals which honor their performance, John has posted a follow-up explaining the medals. In the comments there Ric Locke (who I knew from other web forums and from Usenet before I started blogging) makes a point which ties back to my point in naming that highly decorated WWII soldier, the degree to which myths and stories affect the confidence of soldiers and their unit cohesion. Medals are, in part, awarded in recognition of superior behavior because they add to those stories...
Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester isn't going to get the movie deals and the customized Thunderbird which Audie Murphy got, in part, it seems, because she is less newsworthy than someone named Jennifer Wilbanks, but the story of what she and her unit did is going to live on long after everyone else is as unaware of Jennifer Wilbanks as I am.
Posted by triticale at June 18, 2005 11:13 PM