Rooney: Soldiers in Iraq 'Not All Brave Heroes'
By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
April 14, 2004

Outspoken liberal television commentator Andy Rooney wrote in a newspaper column on Tuesday that the American soldiers fighting in Iraq are "not all brave heroes."

As the longtime opinion guru for CBS's "60 Minutes," Rooney has offered a wide variety of viewpoints over the years.

However, in recent years, Rooney's comments have transformed from simple rants about the issues of the day into outrageous statements.

In his column which ran in The Buffalo News, Rooney opines that the troops fighting in Iraq do not deserve to be called "heroes" because they have not done anything worth that distinction.

"Treating soldiers fighting their war as brave heroes is an old civilian trick designed to keep the soldiers at it," Rooney explains. "But you can be sure our soldiers in Iraq are not all brave heroes gladly risking their lives for us sitting comfortably back here at home."

He adds, "It's disingenuous of the rest of us to encourage them to fight this war by idolizing them."

Adding further insult to the men and women bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq, Rooney exclaims that most of the soldiers serving in the armed forces do not want to be there.

"We speak of them as if they volunteered to risk their lives to save ours, but there isn't much voluntary about what most of them have done," Rooney contends. "A relatively small number are professional soldiers."

Transitioning from the war in Iraq to unemployment, Rooney explains that the only reason most of the troops in Iraq joined the military is because they could not find a job anywhere else.

"During the last few years, when millions of jobs disappeared, many young people, desperate for some income, enlisted in the Army," Rooney states. "About 40 percent of our soldiers in Iraq enlisted in the National Guard or the Army Reserve to pick up some extra money and never thought they'd be called on to fight."

He added, "They want to come home."

Pointing to the 23 suicides committed by troops serving in Iraq as proof of his contention, Rooney concludes his column by asserting that the American soldiers "are victims, not heroes."

Conservative military-supporting group Freedom Alliance reacted to the Rooney comments by calling for CBS to fire the aging veteran for his insensitive remarks.

Tom Kilgannon, president of Freedom Alliance, described Rooney's rant as "reckless, hateful, and unwarranted attack on the men and women who wear America's uniform."

He expressed in a press release, "Rooney is wrong."

"Each of these young men and women have taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States; they have answered the call to duty; they are making sacrifices that may affect their personal, professional or family lives; they are providing hope to a population that has seen little but suffering; and they are doing all this with a positive, optimistic spirit of patriotism," Kilgannon notes.

Shocked by Rooney's theory that most of the military personnel in Iraq do not want to be there because they did not volunteer to be there, Kilgannon says Rooney does not understand the fact that military service is entirely voluntary in the United States.

"The fact that America has an all-volunteer armed forces has apparently escaped Mr. Rooney, a man who has spent his life in the profession of journalism," Kilgannon argues.

Getting to the heart of Rooney's remarks, Kilgannon explains that this is nothing more than a criticism of Bush and his policy in the war in Iraq.

"But regardless of one's opinion of the war, those who fight for and defend America's freedom deserve the support of all Americans - especially journalists - who make a living exercising their freedom of speech," Kilgannon explains. "As a former member of the U.S. Army and war correspondent during WWII, Rooney should especially know this, and how important it is to keep up the morale of our service members."

Kilgannon says that "CBS should fire Andy Rooney."

"If they don't, it will cause Americans to wonder if 'CBS' is short-hand for 'Criticize and Belittle our Soldiers,'" Kilgannon concludes.