What is something that you wish that more people understood about the military?

Allot of people think the military is a last ditch effort. Some of us are still patriots.

How mind numbingly boring a war zone is.

Soldiers have a Brotherhood that Civilians will never understand. The Brotherhood is forged by training, the military culture and friendships developed through the crusibles of determined endurance. The Brotherhood of War is something the protected will never be a part of. The only thing they need to understand is that the Military is the Sheepdog that protects the sheep (civilians) from the wolves. Opinions vary........

Stop trying to bring us home; stop closing overseas bases. Understand that we want to serve, we want to travel, we would rather fight over there so we don’t have to fight at home

Some things we don't talk about, some things we CAN'T talk about, stop asking!

At this time, I am sometimes thanked for my service. I feel awkward being thanked because it is not necessary for me nor do I feel I did anything special. I have at times highlighted what I wish people knew, that is that in my view my wife's sacrifices were far greater than mine. She didn't sign up to raise a 2 year old and newborn by herself while was overseas on less income than we had before I was drafted. People often refer to what we do but never talk about the family and their trials and tribulations. I did what the Army asked me to do and went where they told me to go. Nothing special in that. My wife is my hero because she did a remarkable job raising our 2 boys under trying circumstances. Never forget about the families... .. they serve too

That we do have the option to disregard unlawful orders.

Camaraderie and esprit de corps is not a concept owned by the military alone, but it is, because of the nature of the military, unique. Most veterans saw their first years as an adult in the military. They were trained how to live in hostile environments. They necessarily bonded. They were then released to the civilian environment with no training on transition. It was akin to being dropped on a world of aliens and told to fit in. Sadly, civilians cannot understand veterans either. They can only equate the loyalty veterans have toward each other, good and bad characters alike, to the blind loyalty of a dog. They will never understand the trust of a comrade to have your back no matter what.

I think it is the lessons learned in the military that will stay with you forever. i.e. Discipline, Pride, Leadership, Training, & Devotion to Duty, Corps and Nation. These were some of the lessons I learned a long time ago and not a day goes by that I don't think about some of them & recall my years of service.

My personal favorite is when my brother in law was trying to tell my parents about the Vietnam war as if they hadn't served during the campaign.