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The notion that everyone there is an ignorant barely out of teen years grunt is nonsense. The very fact that nearly half of the contingent there is reserve or NG shows that the average age of those serving, unlike Vietnam is quite a bit older, perhaps as old as the mean age in WW2 if not more. Many people over there are nearly middle aged, have their own families and so on. They're not babies. And whatever their motivation was and continues to be they often are caught up in having to serve based on decisions they made years ago. Were they smart then? Maybe, maybe not. In either case, here they are now and looking back in anger is pointless. They know now that signing up in peacetime can mean getting shot at in a hot war. And regardless of the potential benefits of signing up, the downside of getting shot at can and does present itself.
On the other hand you know that distance runners peak in their late 20's early thirties because it takes emotional and mental tenacity that comes with age. So the very fact that stress is probably a significant factor here and now shows that stress is quite high and people are not coping with it well nor are they being supported. That should tell you something. I'm not sure it has anything to do with disillusionment or any other political motives. After all all grunts get disillusioned with having to sit in the dirt and do what they're told. And garrison duty is doubly stressful. Perhaps instead it has to do with the simple reality of the duty cycle, long deployments and a sense that they are being used and abused over and over with little end in sight. Perhaps it's the very cynicism that comes with age that gives them the mental toughness to survive that ultimately makes them implode with anger at it all.
