Which members of Wordforge have actual combat experience in the military?

This. Unless you've done it, worn the uniform, been posted ten thousand miles from home for a year or more at a time, learned to depend on your shipmates and trust them with your life . . . You. Don't. Know. Jack. It's not something that comes out of a book, you have to live it. You can read about battles and statistics, casualties and victories, the specifications of equipment and descriptions of situations, but that is not being there. The only civilian occupation that matches it is emergency services.

Y'ever been twenty one years old and have two billion dollars worth of national assets under your direct responsibility? Yeah.

Grammar Soup NAZI.

Oh, really?

I don't fault military members who have never seen combat. It's all a matter of timing and location. If your unit doesn't go, it doesn't go. You can't just join another unit that is going. It doesn't work like that. I myself just happened to be very close to retirement and finally went.
But anyone at any time can be stationed in a combat zone, so everyone shares the same risk. As part of the military you always have the potential to go, and are trained and ready at all times. Some people go to combat, return to the states, PCS (transfer) to another unit and BAM! Your new unit is going, thus you have to go too! Your unit doesn't care that you just came from a unit that was in the combat zone. THEORETICALLY everyone gets a minimum amount of time in a stateside situation before they go again. Reality trumps theoretically every...fucking.....time. So your ass ends up away from home half of your career, while some people get over and never pick up a gun. That's the way it really is.

Taking the thread off on a tangent, I do like the respect Americans grant those who have served in the forces. Back in the summer in San Diego, right at the start of the Shamu show, there was a good couple of minutes applause and close in video shot of everyone in that 5000 strong audience who had served.

Regardless of if they were American or not.

We respect our forces over here, but it’s not to the same ‘Ra Ra’ U S A U S A type levels. I actually like it.

OK, we can now resume the Dayton bash!

They had the troop salute thing when I was there in Orlando Fla i November. I don't remember them saying "military of all nations" but they very well might have, since they have a ton of foreigners visiting.

I went to Seaworld a few years ago, and it was indeed all veterans/active duty, all countries. I thought that was nice, but I'm actually of the opinion that we over emphasize this, with the result being folks like Dayton.

They do a thing at Redsox games where an active duty soldier/sailor/marine/airman is recognized. They get to sit in the owners' box, then stand up on the dugout waving to the crowd as the PA announcer recites their duty bio. It just isn't really what a baseball game is about, just like singing God Bless America in the seventh inning is not really a real tradition. These are feel good acts connected initially with 9/11 and now the GWOT. I look forward to the day when there is no rationale for this symbolism and we can get back to pure baseball.

There are a lot of things that I think get overemphasized, including most things that fit the "____ awareness" pattern, which frankly should have been beaten to a bloody pulp on national television ten or fifteen years ago, but honoring those who step up to protect others with their lives isn't one of them. Neither is patriotism, as long as it's directed at the ideals that make the country great, at the concepts worth striving to achieve and to defend, and not just at "this is where I happened to be born, we beat the Nazis last century, ergo yaaay us."

Can't disagree with that, but I take issue with symbolism that doesn't come with understanding the underlying meaning. It's like the people who want flag burning amendments -- they don't understand why burning the flag is an important demonstration that this is a free country. Celebrating the virtues of duty and sacrifice, that is good. But presenting it as something that only comes in one flavor, or in a way that just brings erections to folks like Dayton, that's not so good.

Why do you (& a # of others) constantly imply a sexual component to interest in the military or combat?

Still haven't figured out metaphor yet, Dayton?

Of course I understand metaphor. What I do not understand is why you and others continually use that particular one. It implies that you and others are incapable of understanding someone having the geopolitical opinions I do without some sexual component to it.

Still haven't figured out metaphor yet, Dayton?

Well I guess not. Perhaps you could explain it.

So when I say you get an erection over invading countries, what I really mean is your penis gets long and hard in your pants and maybe you jizz a little bit. In a sexual way.

In addition to Faceman's cogent analysis, an erection is metaphor for excited in a wankish fashion.

Understandable, since he's a wanker.

At least some of this is a guilt reaction for the way Vietnam veterans were treated when they came home.

What makes you think I get excited in a wankish faction over military action?

They're perverted, depraved people who reject their need for a saviour. What do you expect?

You realize that the stories of mistreated returning Vietnam vets are by-and-large myths, don't you?

Do you even know what an erection is? Do I need to post pictures?

Irrelevant even if true. In this case perception is reality.

I was very young when lots of Vietnam War veterans were returning but IIRC the thing was not so much active mistreatment (though I do remember some veterans complaining about being spit on and called "baby killers" or "murderers) but instead a kind of indifference from most American people. The Vietnam War being something most didn't care much to think or talk about much less give obvious support to those who returned.

These two, will have an epic "sword fight".

Not yet, Dayton an erection is what happens to a boy when he shares a special with a girl.