Why ?...I do not disrespect them but why would I have any greater respect for them than the average joe ?
The other thing eots, is what is going on in the world. We are at war. When I was at prime age to enter the military it was real safe. We were not in any major conflicts and the reality is that I would have spent four years in the military and would almost certainly have never seen actual combat. That's not the case today. When someone enlists in the military now, they know good and god damn well they are probably going to be deployed into a combat situation. Yes it's a choice they make, but today they are making the choice to fight. When I was that age we were making the choice to get money for college and getting shot at was the last thing on our minds.
We are not at war...and there are more dangerous professions..try fishing the Bering sea in January
So the campaign in Afghanistan is what, a fishing expedition?