I hear what you're saying, but I don't think flipping the bird at the military -- heckler or no -- goes over the same in a post-9/11 world.
Then you must not have heard of U.S. Representative Pete Stark. He belittled an active military man's intelligence and sarcastically referred to him as "goddamned hero" after that military man criticized his vote.
Think that made any difference to any voters out there? Got news for you, sunshine.