Boy/Girl Scouts with guns

Our military's non-warfighting activities are sometimes characterized as "Peace Corps with guns", admiringly by some (like me), derisively by others who understandably value the military's combat role above all else and view "operations other than war" as distractions.

I believe the better characterization of the military is Boy/Girl Scouts with guns. I served with a number of former boy scouts. I often thought that the Boy Scouts provided them exceptional preparation as young future soldiers, from the practical skills training to the uniformed heirarchical organization to the social values propagated. Only second to the practical skills training, the community service aspect of the Boy Scouts is similar to the military's community service focus.

Their disaster relief actions are underreported by the media, but our military stationed in Japan are in action helping our ally and their neighbors following the earthquake and tsunami. See the Fox News story and "Operation Tomodachi" updates from the Marines in Okinawa and Air Force at Yokota Air Base.

Eric