When I first came to the US from Cyprus my new friends in New York were fascinated by my 2 years of military service. When I talked to them about it I would get this glassy eyed look. I never really understood why. Until the Iraq War.
In Cyprus and quite a few other European countries mandatory military service is a legal requirement. In Cyprus there is a genuine need to train the tiny population in case there is another neighborly attack such as in 1974. But obviously here in the US there is a professional army, mostly made up of volunteers no less. Unless they come from a family with a military background, most American civilians are insulated from the military experience. Even during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan there was little visible impact on the majority of people here (myself included) other than some financial implications, at least not the kind I would expect during wartime. This has exacerbated what is known as the civilian-military divide...
Read the whole blog entry on MEDIUM.