I first came in after the Vietnam war. All of my leaders I got to emulate were the Vietnam vets. It's probably why I can't stand the 60’s hippies. It was sort of transferred from my first leaders who blamed them for the main reason they were not allowed to win the Vietnam war. After we came back from the first Gulf War is when I noticed a change in the public’s attitude towards the military. Before then, no one really cared.
If I have one beef, it is somewhat alluded to in the article. Because most of America does not have any stake in the military or what's going on, they don't understand the gravity of the situation right now. Even though Obama said he was going to end the war in Iraq the enemy has a say in the matter. This war has never ended, it has metastasized. We are still in the same war now it's just that America does not realize it. America needs to make the sacrifices needed to end this conflict and it has not yet. We are going on in this pseudo war forever until we get a commander in chief who can rally the American people to get the job done!
True - And one of the most significant downsides to the voluntary military.
There used to be a significant number of vets, including combat vets, as teachers, professors, state and federal senators and representatives, and in a wide varriety of other influential civilian and governmental positions.
That number has shrunk to where there are now very few vets in those positions - most especially in academia and the government.
When Obama came into office he spoke of people "having skin in the game" in another context. But today fewer and fewer elitists, industry leaders and government officials really do have skin in the game when it comes to the military.
We have declined from a nation where a military man like Dwight Eisenhower could be elected president to one where a spineless American hater like Obama uses Marines to tote his umbrella.