you gotta serve somebody

 I don't really know that Al Gore enlisted in the army to further his political career, just something I read somewhere, don't even remember where.  There are a lot of reasons one might join the army, for the money, to stay out of jail, for adventure, to make a career, maybe as a young lad you got caught up in the shiny baubles of medals and flags and spit-shined shoes.

Or maybe you wanted to serve your country.  Maybe you looked around and saw spacious skies and amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain  and the smiling faces of your fellow citizens and you decided, in the immortal words of Bob Dylan, you gotta serve somebody and it might as well be the United States of America.

I was a C O during the unpopular war, but even, peacenik that I am, I realize that there comes a time in national events when it becomes necessary to oppose the forces of another nation which is planning on invading you, and the only practical thing to oppose it with is our own army.  

So it is a good thing those fellows are doing in joining the army.  But of course they do not get to choose the actions they will take to do that.  They will be taking orders from the sarge or the loot, or the next guy up the line all the way up to what, the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

And unless there is an army takeover, like what happens in certain other countries, the joint chiefs will have to answer to the prez, who let's face it, when it comes to war, can do pretty much whatever he wants.  So even though you may not have voted for him, even though you may despise everything he stands for you have to obey the orders that come down the chain of command to you.