<During much of the Vietnam conflict, I was stationed in Japan with the Air Force, and happened to be on TDY at Camp Zama (playing basketball for the Misawa Jets) when the air-evacs from Dak To were flown in.

Military service is military service, and IMO worthy of respect whether one sees combat action or not. The fact that you have placed yourself on the line to be eligible for eventual combat, even if you are never sent, is no small thing. And the guys behind the lines are just as critical to the effort.

As for the chickenhawks label and former President Clinton....well, he and his advisors were not clamoring for war.

Iraq? Bosnia? Haiti? Somalia? SOMEBODY was apparently doing some clamoring, and I could list more than a few "clamors" when the Clinton Adminstration was beating the drums for HIS attack on Iraq.