In any society there are going to be the warrior class and they have an important role in defending our boarders from emerging threats. Our diversity is one of our core strengths and the military has been an equalizer in our society. When it comes to building our nation, the people who serve have a special place. They walked the talk already and took a step that others did not take. That leads to interesting and unique lives in many cases. No matter what, they should be honored for their sacrifices. It is the one institution that has broad support because it is inclusive and purposeful in its activities.
The military is one place young people can do a lot of good. College is great, the military is great, both are great. You can make a life long career out of the military. Institutions like the military, along with others, have a long history of honor, service and excellence. It is the one place that you can make a big contribution that would not be possible in other environments. You can be a physical warrior or you could be a cyber or intellectual warrior (A little of both/all might be important with some of the emerging VR technologies.)
There is even something called the warrior-scholar. You can read a little about how officer training might include more scholars. In this case they are talking about sociologists Warrior-Scholar. There is also a Warrior-Scholarship Project that helps vets make a transition to civil society (Ok its not actually always civil but we can always hope. A truthful pun.). Warrior Scholar Project. Because the technology and complexity of the modern age I think that we should scholars that already have degrees and include more of them in military roles. Its a knowledge game in todays world so we need to recruit from those who have specific knowledge skill sets. New skills encourages adaptability of the military through knowledge acquisition. You can also read about the Army Research Office and the research they fund (Personally I think they should spend some of that on 3-4 layer deep narrative online learning systems. That is just my humble and often useless opinion.)
Let me say this because I think its important. I have seen people disrespect our vets. People who either never served or people who have an incorrect understanding of patriotism and what it means to be an American. To me, these behaviors lean a little extremist and that is something we are struggling with in some of our small towns (Based in surface and underdeveloped perspectives). We will overcome issues like this as a society because we all know on a deeper level such groups are detractors and they intentionally create problems and issues which weakens us all (That is a core purpose of their existence often developed around a dominant toxic personality or two. There is a mental health component of hate. Try selling that to people who know everything! ). They just have bad karma so deflate by not buying into the narrative (Asking question like "why" is important to solving those type of issues. You might be surprised to find they are projecting their own fears and insecurities onto others.)
Personally, I like the throw back to the American Revolution and the historical line that is drawn. It is correct, you become part of something bigger and in many ways continue to serve throughout your life in different forms and manners. It is an old institution and its becoming increasingly important in the modern world but for slightly different reasons. A sociological perspective.
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