"Every man thinks less of himself for not having been a soldier."
-- Samuel Johnson
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whilst any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day.
-- Henry V, IV:iii
O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation.
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
-- Francis Scott Key, The Defense of Ft. McHenry (aka The Star-Spangled Banner)