Try not to be disheartened chgogal. We get that way too and then one of the wounded soldiers we know will call us up, email or invite us to eat and before you know it, we're bouncing off the walls because of his "can do" way of looking at things. Now this is great, I've got "kids" in their 20s with terrible disfigurements and disabilities comforting an old man of 64! ...and they're the ones grinning!
Well, they teach us a lot don't they? They are a treasure to be around. Like I said on the other post, some have "dive-bombed" a bit in their lives but they also reflect that "can do" attitude by continuing to struggle back on their feet, not give in, like one of them said, they occasionally need a helping hand up, not a handout.
This obviously comes from TRADOC (training doctrine) of assessing the situation, adapting to the conditions and changes and overcoming your enemy, something we need to adapt as well politically.