I'm the first firstborn son in 4 generations not to at least try for a military career, and there was considerable stress between my father and I my senior year of high school after I opted not to accept entrance to Annapolis. That said, I don't think that the military is a "higher calling" in the traditional sense. Most of the military folks that I know love it because of all the fringe benefits that they get and the structure that it provides. There were a lot of reasons for me to go to the Naval Academy, but in the end the doors that were open to me elsewhere were just too promising, especially given my motivations at the time. The paramedics and firemen that I know do it because they love the rush and the fringe benefits.
Obviously I'm an American, and that's how I identify myself. I'm not a "Chicagoan" or an "Illinoisan" (does anyone actually call themselves that?) or a "former Tennesseean". If I need to regionalize myself, it's usually by identifying with a sports team, which surprising works when I'm abroad, depending on the team (Michael Jordan still has fans out there).
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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo
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