> I don't know, but if the situation arose, a
>patriotic brave souled soldier (which I seem to find
>very few on this board, or even future soldiers)
>would protect him with his life.

How old are you anyway, kid? I'm guessing 13. You seem to have a theory ("All able-bodied men and most women with few exceptions should join the military") but when asked for rational reasons why this should be so, you either spout platitudes ("It is the duty of every man to serve his country") or give ill thought-out, definitely not universal reasons you seem to have picked up from elders or from movies ("Dicipline, physical conditioning, make better people, find direction..."). Then, when pressed to *properly* defend your position that you assert is good for all of us, you resort to personal attacks like the one above.

*If* I were a soldier and *if* I were in a position to save my President from an assassin, I'm sure my training would cause me to do whatever necessary in order to save him, up to and including sacrificing my own life to do so.

*BUT*, the fact that I have no desire to be a soldier unless it is absolutely necessary and that others here have a similar attitude is not a reason to assume we're unpatriotic or "bad" people. In fact, I'd venture to say that my *reasoned*, *thought out* patriotism and love of my country is leaps and bounds superior to your blind parroting of ideals somebody taught you once.

Bottom line: Explain your reasoning that all able-bodied young men should serve in the military without using the words "serve his country" or "good for him". THINK about what you're saying, don't just blindly regurgitate the values and beliefs someone has instilled in you. I have this feeling that if you really thought about these issues, you'd realize you don't really know anything about the military or "service to your country" or patriotism beyond what you've been told by someone else. Until you think about it for yourself, and gain a perspective that can only be gained through life experience, you won't really have a clear picture of what it is you really believe in.

-- Dave