I can't speak to UK soldiers/sailors etc but I can say that there is a myriad of reasons that Americans join the military. Family tradition, money for school, adventure, needs a job etc. Ultimately it is about one thing and that is service to ones country. As its been said service members don't make policy and they don't choose when and where to deploy. They must defer to their nation's leaders and electorate that put those leaders in place. I've spent countless hours and days working in the community. After the hurricanes in Lousianna we spent weeks cleaning up and providing support for the local communities. I am just as proud of these duties as my combat deployments. While some of you may disagree with the concept of your military as a protectorate it doesn't take away from the concept of selfless service that your respective nation's young men and women express by joining something that is bigger than themselves. As a whole they deserve more respect than being heckled upon their return home from a combat zone.