Often lost in all the rhetoric about the war is the simple fact that our military is an all volunteer force. Most of us joined knowing full well we'd have to go to war should war happen; all of us know that we, as part of our normal duties, will train for war and make deployments. And since we have to deploy, most of us would prefer that during our deployments, we do what we train for -- which is to fight wars. It's what we do.
Not to make light of what is a very serious situation (our current war), but, let's face it -- if you are in the military for a career, going to war, and being successful, is much better for your career than staying home ...
With only one exception, every person in my branch of service whose situation I was personally acquainted with, who did not want to deploy to Iraq, was resisting deploying for personal reasons -- not because they objected to the war on moral grounds -- but rather, for reasons such as a desire to stay home with their new spouse, new child, new car, didn't really like their job in the service, did not want the break in their off-duty education or simply wanted to get out to go back to school or get a new job ...
Of course -- I would never presume to speak for the reservists and National Guard personnel that have been wrenched from their civilian lives and in some cases, forced to endure multiple deployments ...
