Conspicuously Gallant

Introduction

One of the things the American armed forces do for our society, a seldom advertised benefit to military service, is that young people with nowhere else to turn may find themselves, that they may find themselves a home, a family, kindred spirits who together, look after one another. The military offers a place where one is fed and clothed, where they receive quality medical care, where they find a place to lay their head at night — and a lot more. Education and skill training is part of the package. Learning teamwork, self-discipline, and esprit de corps. Marvelous transformations take place inside the military. People change from being nobody’s to somebody’s — and, for most military veterans, it is a transformation that lasts them the rest of their lives. Not everyone, of course, but most. To most such young Americans, the military becomes a doorway, a step up, a…