And one I’ll long remember. From a reader with an email address indicating

he is an employee of a large and famous software company whose name is an

anagram of SNU: “Ever since 9/11 I have lamented the fact that I never

joined the military and that my job (software engineering) does not

contribute even remotely to the war effort. I am 28 years old, a college

grad, have a wife, a house, and a child on the way, yet I feel my life is

not complete. When I see our soldiers, airmen, sailors, marines, and

coastguardsmen fighting for my country I regret not being one of them. Pride

in the military was not fostered in my generation, we are the children of

the Vietname era. As a result I was more interested in going to college,

getting a job, and making money than joining the military. But over the

years, as I’ve lived my life, I have developed a respect and pride for the

military on my own. I have observed the actions of our military, in Kuwait,

Iraq, Bosnia, Panama, Afghanistan, and many other places. Today I am

extremely proud of our military and regret that I am not part of it. I plan

to make sure that my children, and their generation know this pride from an

early age, so that they can make a more informed decision than I did.”