My duty was to the guys I served with. They watched my back and I watched theirs. That said, none of us were drafted into the National Guard -- all joined voluntarily and all knew the risks. I was in a unit that drew the short straw, so we did our "duty" as we saw it. If that happened to fit into the Grand Scheme Of Things, fine. If not, tough.

Example:

The unit drove POL tanks from Chu Lai to Phu Bai -- 5000 gallon tank truck full of gas, avgas, diesel. One time the convoy was ambushed; it was on a S curve with one side uphill and the other about 75 feet down. The lead truck was hit with a 12.7 and an RPG, the driver (a replacement, not one of the activated NGs) was badly shot up. He yelled to his Assistant Driver, "Jump out!" and when the AD was clear he drove is rig over the edge so the convoy could clear the kill zone of the ambush. No officer witness, no Medal of Honor. Just honor in the hearts of those whose lives he saved.

He didn't do that because of peer pressure. Peer pressure won't cause you to jump on a grenade or walk into a minefield to bring out a wounded man. What makes you do those things is the fact that's your buddies are involved and that they're going to die unless someone does something.