McGrath, I don't believe that any veteran or anyone on active duty who gave it a moment's thought would disagree. There are many ways to serve one's country and military service is one of them. One of them.

Working in an inner-city school is another. So is working in a hospital. So are a lot of other things.

Try a thought experiment, a Gedankenexperiment. Suppose a draft was reinstated which offered the option of two years military service or three years noncombatant service. And that everyone was going to serve, either immediately after high school or immediately after college or grad school or your PhD, but everyone mentally able to do so would serve in some capacity. Your choice would be military or noncombatant. Is there something that is owed to ones country? Would such a structure fulfill it? Could it be made fair and just? Remember -- you can't buy your way out, you can't fudge -- everyone of normal mental capacity will serve sooner or later.