Please cite a source for your 80%. The most recent numbers I can find are for 2006, and it’s less than half. In the 2004 poll, the percentage of military respondents who characterized themselves as Republicans stood at 60%. By the end of 2005, that had dropped to 56%. And by the end of 2006, the percentage of military Republicans plummeted to 46%. Remember, Obama won 44% of the military vote in 2008. For all practical purposes, that’s half of those who voted.
The 80% figure came off the top of my head, but if your figure of 56% is correct, it still means a majority of the military are Republicans, and I’ll wager that most of these are NCOs and officers.
BTW, did you see this video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIHz5tevLAw
My figure may be correct...In the Marine Corps, at least.