I thought this was the plot for a Twilight Zone episode.
You know what *REMINDS* me of a Twilight Zone episode? The *OBAMA* administration!
The main theme in this episode, as the title suggests, is the difference between aloneness and loneliness and its effect on humans. The commanding officer in the final scene sums this up, observing, "The barrier of loneliness that's the one thing we haven't licked yet."