Maybe he should not look a gift horse in the mouth. Better late than never, especially when you were talking about a seachange in public attitudes.
My father was in the Navy between Korea and Vietnam, and he had a lot of his boyhood friends in the Korean war itself. He was extremely upset at how people in the late 60s and early 70s treated our soldiers and our vets, but toward the end of his life he was grateful that the public at large had learned that the prior attitude was 100% wrong..
He is surprised at how much better he’s treated now than then but he’s proud of his service. When he joined, his family lived way back in the mountains of TN. They didn’t have electricity or running water. He finished high school but the only way he could go on to school was to do it in the Army. He ended up a licensed electrician and then an electrical engineer. Both of his younger brothers joined too because according to them “that’s what real men did”. All of the men in his family were military until their sons came along. None of them have joined. He thinks the military would be good for all able-bodied young men now. He’s not thrilled with women being in the military. My dog’s Veterinarian and friend of mine is a Desert Storm Vet. The last time he went with me to take a dog to see her he thanked her for her service so he’s coming around.