TM7,
Thanks, you made a good point: "assigning your value system or rational scheme of things to everything and everybody is an error." That works both ways in this dialogue. Many here evidently find it difficult to imagine that anyone would join the military apart from opportunistic or sociopathic ideals.
Having served in the Cold War I have direct knowledge of what a political officer is, and I am not one of those. It seems as though very few Americans realize how little support our military gives to our country's current "policies" and "politics." In fact most of what I have seen in OIF has been mitigating and diffusing policy through implementation - i.e. they send us lemons, we make lemonade. As a Chaplain, I was constantly asked if we were doing the right thing, and I asked my fellow Chaplains on the battlefield, and they all concurred - Am I doing the right thing is the number one concern of folks on the battlefield. And what was our answer? I don't know. Is it right to volunteer to defend the constitution and our way of life? Yes. Is it right to leave Iraq better than we found it? Sure, but I know that when we pull out there will be civil war. Was it right to come in the first place? I'm leaning towards no, but ... the big issue is the individual self. Am I personally doing the right thing?
I take that as a good sign that our troops have a conscience, and that they do not indiscriminately follow orders. They joined to protect something they value, and the politicians sent them to Iraq - might as well make the best of it. Policy change comes from American citizens involved in the process. We (service members) have little to no impact on policy change, but we can do our best to ensure that policy implementation is done as morally as is feasible ... or quit as many do.
The continental army served in 1776, not today. 40% Irish and Scots in some of the state's troops. Without those foreign born troops, we'd have been the colonies for a bit longer.