From a guy in uniform:

As an officer I’m to remain impartial and publicly neutral. One point, though:
When Bush came into that mess tent in Baghdad (first hand account from two
friends), that place spontaneously erupted. Dudes had tears welling up in
their eyes (along with the president) and that place was shaking with
applause. That was not a scripted moment. I was north in Tikrit at the
time and we applauded when we saw the news report on AFN (armed forces
network).
I’d bet a month’s pay that Senator Kerry would not enjoy the same response
in the same situation.
The vast majority of service men and women don’t give two s**** whether
their commander in chief served in the armed forces 30 years ago. We just
want to be assured that he’s looking out for our interests (collective
American interests) and making wise choices today.