August 14, 2012--"Stars Earn Stripes"

"Stars Earn Stripes" is not a slip of the tongue or a misappropriation of Stars and Stripes, but the punning name of an upcoming so-called reality show making reference to Old Glory.

I was watching the Olympics Sunday night, enjoying another Tom Brokaw Greatest Generation piece. This time about England's greatest generation--those who went through, fought, died, and lived during World War II, particularly the Battle of Britain when night after night the German Luftwaffe bombed the initially defenseless London. How people there at the sound of the sirens would descend into the underground tubes and huddle together in relative safety and then emerge in the morning to find destruction and fire.

And then slowly the Brits managed to launch enough RAF fighters which, against great odds, were able to fight back, downing hundreds of German attack planes. Brokaw showed old film of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, amid the ruins of London, inspiring his fellow countrymen to offer blood, sweat, and tears, which they did so that this became their "finest hour."

At the end of this inspiring piece, appropriate since the Olympic games were being held in London for the third time since the War, they cut away for commercials. The first of which was for "Stars Earn Stripes."

It aired on Monday, the day after the Olympics ended, hoping to get a ratings bump by doing so. In case you missed it, here's how it works:

The series follows a group of no-name celebrities, accompanied by actual members of the U.S. Armed Forces, competing in various challenges based on actual training exercises used by the military. Shamelessly, it is co-hosted by former NATO Supreme Commander and presidential candidate, Wesley Clark, and former "Dancing With the Stars" co-host, Samantha Harris. I guess they all need the money something fierce.

Among others, the "stars" include--

Dean Cain; Dolvett Quince; Eve Torres; Nick Lachey; Terry Crews; and, following in his daughter's reality-show footsteps, Todd Palin.

With the exception of the First Dude, these are not exactly household names; nor did any of them, as far as I can determine, ever serve our country in any way, very much including Sarah's husband. He, as well as she, managed to avoid volunteering to serve, though they have a son in the army and been enthusiastic about making war all over the globe.

I'm OK, I guess, with Bachelor-this and Bachelorette-that and have been known to be watch "Dancing" and "American Idol." Even cynics such as I need escape. But "Stars Earn Stripes" when thousands of our best generation of young people are still very much dying and being grievously wounded in Afghanistan? Really.