Yes, Chris. America’s Fallen Soldiers are Heroes [Video]

On Memorial Day of all days, MSNBC's Chris Hayes noted that he was uncomfortable using the word "hero" when speaking about fallen soldiers. In the clip below you will hear why Hayes found the word problematic, namely because he saw the term "hero" as "rhetorically proximate to justification for more war."

Hayes' statements set off a blog-o-sphere firestorm that will most likely stay burning throughout the day as all of the talking heads come back to the microphone after the long weekend. Even in his formally issued apology, Hayes fails to admit that "fallen soldiers are heroes" indicating that Hayes' underlying problem is still unsettled. The turmoil that Hayes feels over the word "hero" isn't unique, in fact, I would argue that many Americans have the same gut reaction to the word. The problem is that Hayes' honesty revealed a bit too much of an ideology that most of America is uncomfortable with. In short, if Hayes was a politician, his career would be over. For Hayes there is an unbridgeable divide between warriors and honor while for many the terms are nearly synonymous and it seems to me there is a problem with both viewpoints. All warriors are not heroes, the honor of being called a hero depends on what a warriors dies fighting for. In a constitutional republic like the United States, soldiers will undoubtedly end up dying for a country that they have disagreements with. In my view, those soldiers aren't heroes because of the political regime in power, or because of the nature of the particular conflict they were fighting in, they are heroes because they died fighting to uphold one of the most just and liberty providing forms of government that the world has ever known. Those are my thoughts anyway, I want to know what you think.