Jaffe: Troops feel more pity than respect

The event was a Wall Street gala that raised millions of dollars for homeless veterans in New York City. ✧ Kid Rock sang a ballad about helplessness, frustration and loss. On cue, several hundred soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines strode into position around him. The black-tie crowd rose to its feet and cheered. ✧ “The servicemen and women were regarded as heroes,” said David Saltzman, who organized the spring fundraiser. ✧ A senior military officer at the gala, also attended by the Joint Chiefs then-chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, saw the troops’ role differently. ✧ “They were rolled out like some sort of orphan kid,” the officer wrote in an e-mail. “I’m sure the organizers meant well. I know they did. But it wasn’t respect, really. It was pity.” Read more at the Washington Post...

(Hat tip: John H. Detweiler)