The song Disposable Heroes is a vivid description of the facade of glory created by the military for it’s young soldiers. It opens eyes to the true ways of war, and denial of a future for said adolescents. The sole purpose of these atrocities is for the government to sustain authoritative status while the pawns are quickly devoured and forgotten. The functions carried out by these figures all work to operate a well-oiled machine. Auguste Comte would analyze the structure set by Disposable Heroes in classic functionalist fashion. The song could be applied directly to society as a whole. Those with power take its citizens’ children and send them off to war in order to uphold their own position. When presented with a folded American flag, their parents will be told their loved ones died in a selfless act of patriotism and that their deeds will never be forgotten. Such an act will lead parents to believe their children died for a just cause, and not over petty politics. In the song, it would appear that the soldiers are led into the battlefield with a John Wayne attitude. They believe that they can bypass the guts and feast upon the glory. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Only when met with the cruel reality of what war is can a trained killer once again recognize a fragile human’s reflection in the mirror, and feel an emotion such as fear. At this point, it is too late for any comfort, as they are met in fierce combat where it is kill or be killed. As the song approaches it’s ending, the soldier on the frontline questions his very existence. He has failed to grasp the reason he has been condemned to such a fate. Reminiscing what he was trained to do, he realizes his promise of glory was nothing more then a pipe dream. He finally reaches his only reality: “Hell is here.” Here, the lyrics take on a new form when the authority governing over these disposable heroes speaks. Relinquishing the soldier’s emotion, he is ordered “back to the front” to fulfill his duty as property of the government. Disposable Heroes is a prime example of how the lower level of society is brainwashed in order to serve those in control. When one doesn’t have much going for them, the idea of honor and glory can be very appealing. The government sugarcoats the idea of war, and manipulates citizens into thinking its wars are also theirs. While the government remains intact, families, friendships, marriages, and lives are left to become unhinged and collapse. If not for these disposable heroes, the rest of society would fall as well.