Only a fool would fail to recognize that virtually any response to this topic will be offensive to some (substantial) group of people.

I find it unfortunate that the OP chose to put this topic in TravelBuzz instead of Omni, where it belongs. The post has nothing to do with travel, and everything to do with sociopolitics. The purpose of the post is neither to inquire nor to inform; the purpose is to generate a discussion about people's attitudes towards the military. That's Omni. Not TravelBuzz.