I am not sure if you have served in the post WWII military or not, but since that war - the US has changed the way it deals with wars - Korea (a stalemate), Vietnam (a loss), Iraq 1 (a withdrawal), etc.... you see the liberation of the world is no longer the issue and that is why WWII and WWI can not be used as a benchmark to all other wars or engagements. I was in a "war" for over a year and the news only reported it for 18 days.... no one knew we drew fire, no one knew we lived in lousy conditions, it was forgotten about. That is because we engage in what is now called "conflicts".
This thought process is put into soldiers minds from the start. Read what reservists and soldiers say when interviewed. They say "I wanted the money for college". They are lured in by a free education. I told my son he could not join the military for college money alone, that he had to go into the service knowing that he would train and be prepared for war. That is what the military is.
When you offer someone a free education and down play the fact that you will be in battle, you get what you pay for - Soldiers that expect and are told a limited engagement time. It is a culture designed by our nation to avert a draft, and the price you pay in many cases is demoralized troops and upset parents, because they just wanted a free education, and never thought they would be in battle.
This letter is from a proud soldier doing his best to see what this war will yield for him and his troops. Support him and his comrades, don't trivialize this by comparing his situation to that of a World War.