VFW Demands TV Host Apologize For Comments

A top veterans group called Monday for an “immediate and unequivocal apology” after an MSNBC host said on the eve of Memorial Day that it makes him “uncomfortable” to describe fallen soldiers as heroes.

Chris Hayes made the comment while kicking off a panel discussion Sunday on his show, “Up With Chris Hayes.”

He noted it’s “very difficult to talk about the war dead and the fallen without invoking valor, without invoking the words ‘heroes.”

Hayes tried to explain why that makes him uneasy. “I feel … uncomfortable about the word hero because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war.”

Veterans of Foreign Wars, in addition to a throng of conservative bloggers and groups, slammed Hayes for being so conflicted about the term.

“Chris Hayes’ recent remarks on MSNBC regarding our fallen service members are reprehensible and disgusting,” VFW National Commander Richard DeNoyer said in a statement to FOXNews.com.

“His words reflect his obvious disregard for the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have paid the ultimate price while defending our nation. His insipid statement is particularly callous because it comes at a time when our entire nation pauses to reflect and honor the memory of our nations’ fallen heroes.”-[source]