Originally posted by Talithia
I'm not denying the fact that when you sign up for the military you are well aware of the fact that you may see combat. And I don't think that "not wanting to see combat" is a valid excuse for getting out when you voluntarily signed up. However, there are _reasons_ for combat, and, in the case of Iraq, it can be argued that those reasons aren't exactly ones of defense of the United States.
When you join the military, you don't get to make that argument. You follow orders.

Furthermore, was it "defense" of the United States when we helped out in the Balkans? Nope. That doesn't mean soldiers can say "hmm I don't think I feel like it."

When you make a committment like joining the military, you no longer have the same options available to you as a civlian. In fact, that's why the very CONCEPT of a civilian exists: because civilians are different from the military.