The only outstanding feature of the critical component "soldier" is that he's doing nothing of relevance most of the time.
How do you define “most of the time?” Are you counting training time, standing watch, sleep, chow, etc? This comment reminds me of a criminology professor who was outraged that gang bangers were considered to be criminal “since they only spent a fraction of their time committing actual crimes.”

Soldiers are neither more ethical 'because they serve' nor more important than civilians in general.
You’re kind of right. Some service members are more ethical and important than some civilians and some are not. But most soldiers have sacrificed more than most civilians.

Just as a hint about where this point of view comes from: Soldiers who look down to lesser civilians are usually associated to military dictatorships and Tiananmen square-like actions. The coining German history event was the Zabern Affäre.
Thanks for the link; that was enlightening. It confirms my suspicion that the Germans are overreacting to something that happened a long time ago.


Maybe the idea of the “citizen soldier” died with the transition from militias/draftees to an all-volunteer force. The idea that we shouldn’t show any appreciation/recognition would probably work in a nation without a professional army. Only if every able bodied civilian picked up a weapon and answered the call to service during an emergency. As IntelTrooper suggested service members are “completely subject to the will of the state” in addition to the loss of certain freedoms and individuality (uniform, hair cut, etc). They become part of an anonymous entity called “the military” which is held in high regard by most US civilians when compared to other institutions (until their son or daughter decide to join). At least that seemed to be the consensus in the “General v Barbara Boxer” thread. So maybe that’s more of a reason to show our appreciation once they leave the service or are KIA. You gave up these things to serve the common good, so we thank you for it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big fan of the “wolf, sheep, and sheep dog” analogy. That's just my opinion.

Today even those in the Guard and Reserve, not regular forces on regular long term active duty have a GI Education Bill as well as service-specific higher education grants (non-repayable); growingly substantial re-enlistment bonuses, and related benefits civilians don't routinely have at their finger tips.
Sir, call me cynical but I see these as recruitment incentives more than a show of appreciation.