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No profession _in itself_ is noble. There are self-interested reasons for entering any line of work. Nobility arises in people who consciously use the tools of their profession to make the world a better place. _Especially_ when it is difficult to do so.
Professions like fireman, police, and the military can be places where nobility is shown. But I know people who went into those professions for the rush, for the action, and often for the the benes and training (in the case of the military). Nothing against that at all, but there's nothing particularly noble about doing something that you like to do or that is in your best interest.
Just as likely to be noble: the schoolteacher who puts in an extra day's work a week grading papers and prepping to make sure her/his students learn; the bureaucrat who stays late to straighten out the case of some poor devil who's gotten hopelessly entangled in the system and isn't getting the help he needs; the doctor or dentist who puts in a volunteer shift every week at the free clinic; and more.
As for identity, I consider myself an American first. But by my definition, large parts of this country -- and the political system in Washington, Republicans _and_ Democrats -- no longer feel like the America I grew up in. I'm not sure where that America is anymore.
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