Captain America returns: A military perspective
With the return of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, kicking off today in “Captain America: Reborn,” I was curious about a military perspective on the original Cap. Penny Cockerell pointed me in the direction of Daniel J. Calderón, Senior Public Affairs Specialist with the Army Corps of Engineers – Los Angeles District Phoenix Area Office. His thoughts about Captain America’s return, influence and symbolism are as follows.
Matt Price: What do you think about the return of the original Captain America?
Daniel J. Calderón: Oddly enough, I have mixed feelings. I expected to be deliriously happy
Daniel J Calderón shooting photographs over the border in Calexico. Photo credit: Brooks O. Hubbard IV, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to hear Steve Rogers would be returning to pick up the shield he’s been carrying for more than six decades. However, when I found out about it, I found myself wondering whether or not the decision to “kill” him was less about story and more about sales – much like the “Death of Superman” story arc that ran a few years ago.
I understand Captain America (the original – not the substitutes given over the years) is a character, a creation, a work of fiction. But, it’s not like James Bond. Cap, within the confines of his universe, is nearly ageless.
Bond, on the other hand, ages with the men who bring him to life on the big screen. Captain America, though, represents an ideal, a notion that people can reach their greatest dreams and that there will be someone to help them in their times of greatest need. It’s cheesy, but people do need heroes.
Right now, I’m hard-pressed to think of a hero that can be lifted above the masses. Naturally, there are the uniformed heroes, but I don’t think the people readily accept them for one reason or another. I think it’s because Americans like to build people up just to tear them down. It’s a strange mindset and one I don’t understand at all.
So, am I happy Steve Rogers is coming back? Yes. Yes, I am. I’m hoping no one tries to kill him off again anytime soon.
MP: Is a symbol like Captain America helpful?
DJC: A symbol like Cap is absolutely useful. He represents the best in people. I don’t think anyone has been able to write him negatively. Some of the other characters to inhabit the costume and carry the shield have been less than ideal, though. I think, as a character, there is no one better than Steve Rogers for the job. I know, as a writer, another character can be written to try and follow the same code, have the same ideals and be made to live up to the legend. However, as a fan, it would seem hollow and contrived.
In his world, Captain America is the hero of heroes. Villains look up to Cap. They know what he stands for and what he means. Even the ones who try and kill him do so with a knowledge that 
his death will have meaning beyond their plans succeeding. It’s a bit of a stretch to say Cap’s death meant the death of hope. But, I do think his death represented the death of a dream.
Cap was originally created (in the comic book world) to counter the Nazi plague infecting the world in WWII. He was meant to inspire the American people with his garish star-spangled uniform and all-American ideas. However, he grew beyond that initial phase.
He grew into a character embracing the world. He grew beyond just an American character into a figure the world could welcome as its own. I think it is because of the ideas he embraced – that America is not just a country, but a dream.
I think the dream is needed just as much today as it ever was in the past. I think the plagues of intolerance, hatred and stupidity (evinced by the continued killings based on the flimsy – and scientifically-flawed – notions of race) are still with us. We need a hero who can speak to those issues. We need someone who can stand up without the benefit of super powers, someone who can defy the inhuman with innate humanity.
MP: As the most obviously patriotic superhero, does Captain America have a particular affinity for those in the military?
DJC: I think saying Cap is a patriotic superhero is a bit much. I don’t see him as a jingoist, just out to “prove” the U.S. is the best country in the world. I think there are too many other people who do that – who are into the whole “we’re better than you” mindset of world affairs. In one 
speech, Captain America said there is nothing wrong with having pride in one’s country, but not at the expense of any other’s. Instead of being a tool of the government or official policies, Cap is a representative of what brought this country together in the first place.
I think it would be easy for military members to accept Cap as a patriotic hero, but that would be oversimplifying the character.
I think he transcends America – the nation. I think he represents the United States of America – the idea. America is not a nation of any one people. We are a country forged from inherited ideas and imported dreams. Captain America believes in the notion that everyone is equal. He actually works to give as many people as possible the chance to pursue their individual happiness.
I see Cap as more than just an American hero. He is decisive in his leadership, but also willing to follow. He is strong in his ideals, but willing to listen. He accepts others for their differences and sees how those differences can compliment each other in almost any situation. He is a hero of the world. He is a hero born of that international cauldron that is America – a hero who can see past red, white and blue and can appreciate and celebrate people around the world.
MP: When did you become a fan of the character?
DJC: I became a fan back in the late 70s, as far as I know. I don’t remember ever not having a Captain America comic book in my house. I don’t remember if I bought comics for $0.35 or 
not, but I definitely remember when they were $0.65.
I remember when Captain America helped train and partnered with the high-flying Falcon. I remember when they had to team up with the Kingpin (and, by extension, most of the organized crime bosses in Nevada) to stop the Red Skull from unleashing the Fifth Sleeper on an unsuspecting Las Vegas.
I remember when Cap fought Batroc and his crew who were under instructions to separate him from his shield so Dr. Myron McClain could try and replicate it.
That scheme failed and the bad guys who kidnapped Dr. McClain were brought to justice.
I remember when The Commission stripped Cap of his uniform and gave it to John Walker. 
That proved disastrous. In the end, Walker gave up being Cap and “died” in a hail of bullets, but was mysteriously bought back to life as the U.S. Agent. Of course, the assassination was later revealed as a fake perpetrated by the government to sever any possible connection between Walker and U.S. Agent.
So, yeah, I can’t really remember a time when I wasn’t a fan. He’s been around a long time and I’ve tried to keep up.
MP: Has Captain America influenced you, and if so, how?
DJC: Yes, Captain America has influenced me. My mom taught me to read by the time I was three. I don’t remember this, of course, but I have her stories and those of my aunts to confirm 
my mom’s accounts. When I was younger, we really didn’t have much in the way of entertainment options. We had a small library near my grandmother’s house and we had a little convenience store down near our house. I would save money and go there to get comics as often as I could.
At the library, I would grab books about Sherlock Holmes and devour them, devoting hours to honing my own powers of deduction. It worked to a degree, but I was never going to be a Holmes.
When I couldn’t get to the library, I would read and re-read my comics. My little brother and I would buy different comics so we could swap out and reach each other’s books. He would buy X-Men or some other books while I would stick with Cap and Thor. I started on The Avengers a little later, but Cap was always the one I would buy first.
When I read Cap, I entered a place where the good guy really did the right thing, no matter how
hard it was for him. He stood up to people who were 10, 20 or 100 times stronger than he was and he didn’t back down. All he had were his skills, his determination and his indestructible shield, but he never shied away from defending someone in trouble.
Cap was more about equality than any other character I’ve read. He believed in the innate value of life in all its forms. For Captain America, there were no separate races. There was only the human race. For him, sentient beings all had inherent value and had rights to pursue their dreams.
I’ve tried to incorporate that mindset into my own life. I’ve tried to stand up for those who can’t do it for themselves. I’ve been knocked down more than a few times, but I keep getting up. On forms that have a box to indicate race, I write HUMAN and wait for the inevitable questions. Captain America is an inspirational character. I don’t think any other hero is as respected by other characters in the universe he or she inhabits. I’m glad he’s coming back to inspire people.
The world needs heroes. It’s sad sometimes that they are sometimes only in books; but, with a little luck, the ideals espoused in those pages can make their way into our flesh-and-blood world. If so, then that can only make it better for all of us.
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I once wrote a very military style fan fic about Captain America and Captain Britain titled “Spitfires over Stalingrad”
It went down quite well.
It should be somewhere at this link (in among all my Thor stuff) :
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1276881/David_Scholes
Cheers