The Military Needs to Reach Out to Civilians - Washington Post op-ed by General Martin Dempsey.
... The last decade of war has affected the relationship between our society and the military. We can’t allow a sense of separation to grow between us. As the all-volunteer force enters its fifth decade, civilians and the military need to maintain the shared understanding necessary for a healthy relationship.
Together, we need to discuss who we are and what our wars mean to us. In the past, this discussion reflected the character of the war. World War II produced the Greatest Generation. The Korean War was largely forgotten and, for too long, so were its veterans. After Vietnam, our nation struggled to understand its veterans. In the Persian Gulf War, we witnessed a fully supportive home front. Now is the defining moment in our relationship with the 9/11 veterans...