Today I was watching the TV and I saw something I never saw before and never thought that I’d ever see. It was a recruiting commercial for the Army and at one point toward the end there was SSgt Salvatore Guinta standing before a mirror in full dress uniform putting on his Medal of Honor that was presented to him in a solemn ceremony by the President of the United States. You can see the commercial on TV or on YouTube. He stood there before the mirror, all spit and polish and wearing the highest medal that the United States presents to a soldier for valor and courage on the field of battle. And here the Army thought it wise to use SSgt Guinta and his Medal of Honor as a recruiting tool. So the United States Army has now commercialized the Congressional Medal of Honor. It’s now being used as a recruiting tool. I wonder what the person that authorized this was thinking. Did he actually say to himself or others, “let’s put SSgt Guinta in the commercial? That’ll get em’ to join.” They’re actually selling the idea of “winning” a Medal of Honor, as if it’s something that you “win”.
It seems to be working. The comments on YouTube are probably 98% positive. Many of the young men are thrilled at seeing SSgt Guinta and his Medal of Honor. They’re ready to go. As the father of a soldier who serves in the Army Special Forces, and did three tours of Iraq, I don’t know what I’m more appalled at; the Army commercializing the highest honor given to an American soldier to be used as a recruiting tool, or the fact that not one person looked at that ad and said, “ What???” There are some things that are beyond commercialization, some things that you simply don’t reduce to a mere tool for selling a product. I used to think that was the case. I used to think that the Army understood that.
I suppose that it’s only a matter of time before they use the Towers falling on 9/11 as a recruiting tool. Perhaps the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will be next. As the father of a soldier who serves in the Army Special Forces and did three tours of Iraq, I’m shocked and appalled that the Army would be this crass, but I’m even more shocked that it raised no questions as to the tasteless commercialization of the nation’s highest honor.
It seems to be working. The comments on YouTube are probably 98% positive. Many of the young men are thrilled at seeing SSgt Guinta and his Medal of Honor. They’re ready to go. As the father of a soldier who serves in the Army Special Forces, and did three tours of Iraq, I don’t know what I’m more appalled at; the Army commercializing the highest honor given to an American soldier to be used as a recruiting tool, or the fact that not one person looked at that ad and said, “ What???” There are some things that are beyond commercialization, some things that you simply don’t reduce to a mere tool for selling a product. I used to think that was the case. I used to think that the Army understood that.
I suppose that it’s only a matter of time before they use the Towers falling on 9/11 as a recruiting tool. Perhaps the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will be next. As the father of a soldier who serves in the Army Special Forces and did three tours of Iraq, I’m shocked and appalled that the Army would be this crass, but I’m even more shocked that it raised no questions as to the tasteless commercialization of the nation’s highest honor.