Thank you, all our soldiers...

I just watched a YouTube presentation brilliantly promoting us to remember, love, and support our troops. It reminded us of every possible kind of relationship we could have with a soldier. Well done, and it made me think...

I have no family in the military right now. No one in the current generation has signed up. No one in my generation signed up. My father, maternal grandfather, and uncle all served, but no one does now. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.

On the one hand, relief. My nephews and nieces aren't in military harm's way (though civilian life is dangerous enough). And I certainly can't demand from them something I didn't do (I was rebellious, short-sighted, and self-centered. The military probably would have done me good). I know a civilian contractor over there. There are a few boys from church who enlisted, but mostly I don't know many soldiers.

As a writer, I am dependant on the military to safeguard my right to free speech; I am eternally grateful for the safety and freedom secured and defended by our soldiers. So why aren't there more of them? Why has my generation and the current generation forsaken military duty? In so successfully ensuring civilization, has our military created a society of non-warriors?

What are your thoughts?