[Tallguy]

Serving in the military is looked down on by the intelligensia and professional class that populate much of the Northeast. It’s ok for your kid or mine, just not theirs. They want to be protected, but not at the risk their own kids’ lives. They create a cacoon that must be protected by others.

Recall the courtroom monologue by Jack Nicholson's character in "A Few Good Men"? I'm sure that the screenwriters were simply seeking to charactarize a professional military officer as a political troglodyte, but if you look at that fictional Marine colonel's speech in a vacuum, it perfectly encapsulates America's schizophrenic attitude toward the military profession.

[Citizen Blade]

but if you look at that fictional Marine colonel's speech in a vacuum, it perfectly encapsulates America's schizophrenic attitude toward the military profession.

That happens in pretty much any society with a relatively small, all-volunteer force. Conscription used to create a shared experience for every male in a given society. But, nobody has any interest in bringing back the draft (least of all the military). So, we're likely to continue to have a situation where the military is a fairly insular community.