Much ado about Newsweek's placement of Marissa Strock on their cover since she didn't endure much suffering at Walter Reed, certainly in comparison to others.
But was she exploited, were readers exploited, or does it give a lift to the cause of vets?
Think about this, what is your image of a vet? Probably the Vietnam vet we once saw stumbling around shell-shocked, ragged, and perhaps inebriated. Am I generalizing? No. Am I being disrespectful? No. Put simply we remember shocking images and it allows us to be less concerned.
I've taken a 'lost' vet to the VA once or twice when I was a teen, it reminds me that the Vietnam vets were ill-treated by many and by the VA hospitals. I don't think Walter Reed is isolated or new.
Marissa puts a better face on what it means to be a proud vet, an American vet. It facilitates people rallying behind the rest of the vets, recognizing their contributions, suffering, and needs - regardless of how you view the war or Bush.
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