Just so's you know that last post in no way knocks the guy's patriotism - just his sense of perspective. I ask you which would you like to be in a foxhole with a patriotic man who don't follow orders.
If you are Gunnery Seargant Rifle Company B, you want your new Lootenant to follow the order "Hold your position - we will have relief to you in 6 hours and then we will resume the advance" as opposed to him tellin his troops to "Fix bayonets, those idiots in command are a bunch of wusses, we are gunna take this goddamn hill".
That might be different if it were comin from an ole headed Lootenant that you had been through hell with though rather than some greenhorn
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Boil it down - most army's anywhere attract patriotic people - you can't suggest that German's and Japanese in WWII were not patriotic and loved seeing their flags everywhere. What the army must do is try to make them value the need to follow orders above their patriotism. That is why I think the letter writer should be disciplined - not for loving his flag and his country, but by placing them above the need to obey orders.