Concert for Valor

I watched the Concert for Valor last night on Veterans Day and was appalled. As a combat veteran in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War I was looking forward to a concert that would honor our veterans and active duty servicemen. Aside from a couple patriotic songs and short video bios on military heroes, the concert was neither honoring nor patriotic. Most of the songs sung were popular hits from recent headliners, which was probably entertaining for the young, but did nothing to rouse one’s patriotism. The concert, though performed on Veterans Day, was more of a USO entertainment extravaganza. With the cussing of Eminem and the introduction of military heroes by actors and politicians known more for their anti-military views, the show was not about promoting valor, but rather an opportunity for liberal celebrities to align with our distinguished heroes of the armed services. The most enjoyable part of the concert was the booing that Bruce Springsteen received, especially when he sung a CCR song called “Fortunate Son,” which is an anti-war protest song.

HBO produced the concert and was responsible for hiring the acts. With what occurred, one has to wonder what was the intent behind booking Springsteen, a person with an anti-war protest background, and Eminem, who usually appears with an expletive-laden vocabulary. I was certainly disappointed that this concert was not more honoring to veterans. A more appropriate name would have been “Concert of Pallor”—for it certainly paled in contrast to honoring veterans.