I just don't understand or relate to this kind of anti-militarism directed at enlisted personnel. It's just the height of ignorance and misplaced elitism.
My parents, (Mom and stepdad), are about as left-wing pinko as you can get and are what I would describe as "anti-militarism" in terms of our foreign policy, yet it does not extend to negative feelings towards actual troops. They did quite a bit of volunteer medical work in Haiti several years ago at the time that U.S. Marines were doing peace-keeping duty there and they were very impressed with the quality of people that the young Marines were. They liked them very much.
My brother is a relief worker in South Asia, previously in Africa for many years. His politics in regards to U.S. foreign policy are pretty close to my parents, (very left), and he has probably been to more Marine Balls in foreign countries over the last 20 years than anyone on this board, unless we have some "lifers" here that I don't know about. He told me that they "always" go to them, at least in Africa. He and his wife think that those young guys, (and women), a lot of them from inner-city and rural America, are some of his favorite countrymen. They meet them at the U.S. embassies on their beat.
So yeah, I don't get it.
