I recently read an account of a military family member who was disheartened at the disparity in attention given Michael Jackson's death on the same day her nephew was killed in action.
It sure seems that we get desensitized to ongoing casualities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I certainly spent a lot of time lately thinking about Steve McNair's death. At the same time, I subscribe to a Department of Defense RSS feed that funnels press daily press releases to my news reader. This feed contains the news releases concerning those killed in the service of our country. I try to take note, especially of where the hero was from, on a daily basis.
It doesn't make me some kind of patriot - I just hope it gives me some kind of perspective.