Americans are obsessed with Veterans. Not just people who were drafted into wars like the Vietnam War or World War II, but also anyone who volunteered.
This is odd! Nurses, Social Workers, Teachers, Fire Fighters and Police all put themselves in harms way and do unpleasant jobs, despite low pay. But they don't get special parking space at shopping malls, and they don't get arbitrary discounts at myriad stores.
America has a weird nationalism in its psyche, and the worship (for that is not too strong a word) of people who chose a career where they could end up having to murder people, is one symptom.
