RLGaming.com

This quote from The Federalist echoes my sentiments:

One month ago, seven Marines were killed when their KC-130 fell from the sky in western Pakistan. Their names were not published by any media outlet. No network operating on a 24-hour news cycle had dramatic graphics and music to accompany endless special reports. No flags were flown at half mast, and nobody was scrambling to set up trust funds for their spouses and college funds for their children. Just two days before the STS-107 breakup, an Army UH-60 broke up in flight 12 clicks east of Bagram, Afghanistan, killing four servicemen aboard. Their names were never in print.

Our point, of course, is not to take away from the honor due and afforded the Columbia crew, but that same honor is no less due every one of our countrymen whose life is given in defense of our liberty. We grieve the loss of each and every one of these courageous Patriots, and our prayers go with their families.

Well, how about when several marines were killed in a helicopter crash in Hawaii the same week, and prior to Dale Earnhardt dieing while racing...??? Same thing, but in this case worse in principal.

I think it's very reminiscent of Vietnam - people didn't want our boys/girls out there, so refuse to acknowledge incidents such as these.
But there is also the common occurence approach - it is likely that our boys/girls will get hurt in such an environment, because the danger is there all the time and sooner or later something is going to happen. Although the danger is still very much there, track record of the Shuttle is somewhat more overpowering in terms of how people look at it from a safety aspect. It is a very much more spectacular, in your face, on television thing too when something does go wrong. So I can understand why the population react differently.
You only need to look at what happened here at our base - nothing happened when all those soldiers were lost over all those incidents - but the second the Space Shuttle crew were lost - the flags came down to half-mast!
IMHO, every time we lose someone in any action overseas, we should lower the flags to show respect - and I don't mean JUST when those lost are our own!!

Sounds great to me - this is just my way of expressing the gratitude i feel every day for the military, law enforcement and the paramedics and firemen that allow me and my family to live our lives.