ST Forum, 03-06-2004 (article shaded grey some more)
Are uniformed men lesser than heroes?
I READ with a sense of sadness Mr Dudley Au's arguments ('Why
single out only the soldier? Risks exist in every line of work or
profession'; ST, May 2
in response to the letter, 'Don't forget to salute our
brave men in uniform' (ST, May 25), by Mr Jonathan Galaviz.
Mr Au went to the extent of saying that doctors and nurses who
treated Sars patients were 'greater' heroes than a pilot who flew a
plane not knowing whether it was going to crash or not.
Mr Galaviz did not say that pilots are greater heroes compared to
all other professions. All that he said was all uniformed personnel
should be appreciated.
Yes, there are risks in every line of work. When Sars broke out, we
honoured not only the doctors and nurses, but also many others,
including the taxi drivers who did not shun nurses working at Tan
Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
People choose events to remind us that we should be thankful for
the people who serve our country and people. The F-16 pilot died
while serving the country.
The comparison between doctors facing Sars and a pilot in training
is not a fair one. Sars to doctors would be like war to soldiers. I
am sure the receptionists at TTSH would not be classified as heroes
the way the doctors were, but shouldn't we honour them too?
Doesn't it require courage to climb into the cockpit day after day
to train, knowing that you could die any time? As a former military
aviator, I know. Every single flight is a risk, from the time you
start that jet to the time you land.
Many of us have had close shaves, with a few seconds making a
difference between life and death. Yet we climbed back into the
cockpit to continue to train.
What for? To project a deterrence, and to prepare for a war we all
hope never happens. Does that make us lesser than heroes?
LEONG CHUN YU