Thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Tuesday to honor America’s veterans with The Concert For Valor. And the moment Eminem swore, every media outlet simultaneously forgot the veterans.
The only things the media cares about, apparently, are Bruce Springsteen singing Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” an anti-war song that protested the Vietnam War, and Eminem swearing. A lot. None of them mentioned the veterans, the people the show was supposed to be about.
And even if they managed to write about the concert without, or only briefly, mentioning Eminem and Springsteen, they still couldn’t be bothered to mention any of the heroic and inspiring stories spread throughout the 3 hour concert, aside from Leroy Petry, a Medal of Honor recipient.
So for those who missed it, and would like to know more about each veteran honored at the concert, here they are:
Leroy Petry, a recipient of the Medal of Honor for throwing a live grenade to save two other soldiers, a selfless decision that cost him his right hand.
Bill Krissoff, a father who lost a son, and honored him by joining the Navy Medical Corps and deploying to Iraq at 62.
Lt. Col. David Oclander, a veteran who dedicated his life to helping minorities and at-risk students in Chicago.
Kellie McCoy, a pioneer for women in the Army whose passion spans over 12 years and repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jacob Wood and William McNulty, two veterans who came together to create Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization powered by veteran volunteers.
Ken Harbaugh, a former Navy pilot and the chief operations officer for Team Rubicon.
Chad Reynolds, an Army and Navy veteran and Team Rubicon Arkansas state operations coordinator, who overcame depression when Team Rubicon gave his life new purpose.
Master Sgt. Cedric King, who lost his legs to an improvised explosive device, and now conquers triathlons and shares his story to inspire others.
Karen Guenther, a Marine Corps wife who co-founded the Semper Fi Fund, a not-for-profit organization that specializes in providing immediate financial support to injured veterans and their families — often long before government organizations can respond.
These men and women have gone above and beyond to serve our country. They display the pinnacle of heroism, sacrifice, service and honor, and we owe our freedom to them.
So why can’t a single media outlet be bothered to mention more than one of them, if they are even mentioned at all?