I had forgotten on Monday that Fox moved 24 this season. They really should do a second showing of this excellent series on FX or something. After reading this report, from the Trib’s Maureen Ryan, I understand last Monday’s episode was something special:

At the end of Monday’s “24,” a photo of a military pilot appeared, with these words: “This episode is dedicated to the memory of Lt. Col. Dave Greene of the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 775.”

The screen then faded to black, and these words appeared: “His sacrifice, and the sacrifice of all our men and women of the military, will never be forgotten.”

Greene, who died in Iraq in July, had been part of the Marine unit that appeared on Monday’s episode. On the episode, which revolved around the freeing of the show’s fictional secretary of defense from terrorists, those were real Marines who swooped in on helicopters and rappelled down ropes in the rescue attempt.

“That group [of Marines] had just come back from Iraq, just weeks before we shot that episode” in October, says “24” producer Tim Iacofano, who worked with the Marines’ film and TV liaison office to arrange the unit’s appearance.

Imagine using REAL MARINES to stage a mock raid for television! I could see this from Donald P. Bellisario, but few else in Hollywood. I hope they all got paid scale. 🙂

But this seems to be a reflection of an admirable general attitude I’ve seen throughout the entertainment industry. On last week’s episode of Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, they staged a lavish wedding for soon-to-deploy Army PFC Ray Steele and his wife, Maria (the Army would not honor their Colombian wedding), and then lavished them and their baby daughter, Sabrina, with gifts – well beyond the nomal Queer Eye fare. But the kicker was the Hip Tip, where Jai instructs the audience in the sort of stuff to put in a Care Package for a servicemember in Iraq.

Personally, I feel this is an expression of the collective shame we feel as a nation, for the way we treated our Vietnam vets. The entertainment industry – many promenient denizens of which have far more to be ashamed of than most – is leading the rallying cry: “No matter how we feel about this war, or any other, we will never again disrespect our warriors.”