1 Very. Good. Point. 

Of course people still care about you, whatever stage of life you're in, but they're no longer responsible for you, and the infantilizing attitude (rebutted so nicely both here and in that editorial) really does need to stop.  (For that matter, it needs to stop for civilian adults, too.) 

For goodness' sake, we're supposed to raise kids to be worthwhile, come-into-their-own, self-sufficient (insofar as it is possible) adults, not to still be nursing at 40.  And yes, our adult commitments are OUR adult commitments, not our parents' sacrificing us to appease the fire gods.

This post goes kinda well with AFW's post, doesn't it?

2 I think the idea of "America's sons and daughters" has been watered down to this idea that our military are 'our sons and daughters' as Americans.  The symbolic use of "America's sons and daughters" in its original usage (from what I can tell) seemed more to conjure the idea that the virile, courageous, young (or at least agile!) and brave would take up arms to protect the homeland.  That the sons & daughters of the country would rise up and maintain freedom to honor those who went before and to provide for those yet to come.

Now, though, like everything else, this phrase has been watered down to suggest that our military blithely found itself somewhere that, had their been careful guidance, none of them would have tread.

I'm with you.  They know what they are doing and they do it better than anyone else.

3 This view of servicemembers as children (hence "sons and daughters") reflects the paternal premise of the Left.  Individuals like Sarah's husband are incapable of making decisions for themselves. The little people must be guided by a Great Leader.  The armed forces were duped by a false Great Leader (Bushaitan), but now that the Omerican peOple have chosen the greatest leader of all time by a record landslide, I expect to hear some interesting new tunes. Leftists might warm up to Afghanistan while the Right loses interest.

1 Hear Hear! I totally feel you