https://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/what-percentage-of-americans-have-served-in-the-military/
With only about 7 percent of the population having ever actually served in the military, we are a very small group. If all you have ever known in your life is Momma's and Daddies house, then an apartment or house and a 9a-5p M-F gig, you would have no conception of what its like doing things lik e Combat duty in the sand box or serving on a destroyer pulling radar picket duty. (Speed bump is what most picket ships are referred too on the Carrier )
Also consider that an Army or Marine member serving on or behind the front lines of a wasteland 3000 miles away from home is going to have a different experience then an Airman schlepping 500 pounders or fixing fighter bombers.... MY "Combat experience " was a 3 mile box off the coast of Beruit. The jets were real and the missiles were good and true. Thank you Ratheon Marine for true radars and The workers at General Dynamics for good missiles.
But truth be known, only 3 months of my life were spent there and it wasnt the most dangerous part of my Naval Adventure. As flagship on STANAVFORLANT we got caught in a North Sea Squall leaving Scotland on our way to Iceland. The 40 year old hull had to float up the face of then down the back of 60 foot swells. We were taking blue water on the bridge and listened to our screws (propellers) slap air for 3 days not being able to make more then 6 knots and left almost 42 million dollars worth of antenna's, wave guides SONAR dome and other assorted ships fitments there. How do you explain to a front line grunt what that felt like?
So, if we cant agree and compliment each other for service that only 7% of the country has "participated" in, how do we expect the other 93% to have
so much as a clue as to what our reality was during our time in?