Heroes we ignore

Dakota Meyer was a hero before his heroic act, but as with most heroes, we didn't notice. We were too busy making heroes out of movie stars, singers and sports stars. We were focused on celebrities as if anything they did really mattered to our own lives. They entertain us. Military folks, well they are just too busy protecting us most of the time but when a video shows up on YouTube with them dancing or acting silly, it goes viral with millions of people watching what they do. When they are risking their lives, no one wants to pay attention.

Why?

Kentuckian deserves Medal of Honor, said brother of deceased Marine
By Jim Warren — jwarren@herald-leader.com
Jul 26, 2011

Pikeville's Chase Goodman is hoping that Kentucky native Dakota Meyer gets nationwide recognition for the Medal of Honor he's to receive for braving enemy fire to retrieve the bodies of four buddies in Afghanistan in 2009.

And he hopes the medal will make more Americans aware of the military errors and oversights that, Goodman believes, led to the four men's deaths.

Goodman has a personal interest in the story: his half-brother, Marine 1st Lt. Michael Johnson of Virginia Beach, Va., was one of the four men Meyer tried to save.

"I think that at some point Dakota probably knew they were already dead," Goodman said Monday.

"But the simple fact of his determination to rush in there and try to pull them out regardless ... it's just extraordinary. I'd really like for him to get some recognition for what he did."


Read more: Kentuckian deserves Medal of Honor

This is one of the few nominated for the Medal of Honor. The least we can do is pay attention to what they did with their lives for the sake of our lives and not the sake of their own lives.

Read about what happened here and watch video report.

We were pinned down