What's heroic about being shipped into wars that are not only condemned around the world but also back at home? What's heroic about fighting in wars where you don't understand why you're there, or why it's you who must police the streets you've bombed? What's heroic about fighting in a country that's no threat to you?
"They died for their country"
During the Great wars, 14 year old boys would try to muster up the face of an older man just to enlist into the army. Some were sent back home gutted, and others got their wish running around with rifles because they wanted to join in a great struggle in which the entire country was behind. Most these soldiers nowadays joined the Army Forces for a variety of reasons, but I doubt dying for Queen and country was high on that list. Incidentally, those who have come back seem to be amongst the most mild mannered and well-level headed when it comes to their views on these wars, whereas the 'blogosphere' is filled with keyboard patriots who are one day political scholars and the next day military generals giving expert opinion on why we should/can bomb country X, Y and Z; and yet I doubt they'd be found within a 10mile radius of a recruitment centre themselves!
It's not right to place respect and the title of 'hero' on some purely based on the uniform they wear. What defines them is their persona and character, and this engineered sense of nationalism/patriotism that has inflicted some of us in recent years, where we choose to ignore any relevant and moral context, blindly herald this as that, and so on, undermines some of the most deserved and genuine heroes in the past who gave up their lives whilst not drawing a single shed of blood themselves. Heroes are men, women and children who every individual - regardless of race, gender or background - can bow their head to and recognise the inherent human quality of said person.
That isn't to say none of those serving in the Armed Forces do not deserve to be named as heroes, there are some who are amazingly good-hearted and brave individuals, but a random uniform losing a limb does not make him a hero. He is someone who lost a limb in the war. Fighting wars doesn't make you heroic, it's the choices you make in life and the reasons why that do; it's in the person in you, not what you wear.