By 2004 -- when DeSantis was commissioned as a Navy officer -- it was firmly established that the U.S. military had become nothing more than a mercenary force that was put in the service of foreign interests and multi-national corporations that had a financial stake in waging stupid wars that never ended.
By my count, the only three presidential candidates I can remember who served in Vietnam were Al Gore, John Kerry and John McCain. Good heavens ... if that was the best we could do, I would rather support a baboon for president.
This isn't the 1970s and 1980s anymore. Military service in presidential candidates has no compelling value to a lot of voters (me included).
In 2004, military service was still considered by the vast majority of Americans to be honorable, as was service in the Iraq war. Bush did get re-elected.
It isn’t that military service has compelling value in presidential candidates to you, but rather, it is honorable work. He didn’t get out of Harvard Law and immediately go into politics. He served his country honorably, whether or not our leaders abused his honorable service.