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.
