My Mil,
If you had the opportunity to spend any amount of time with the military culture, the soldiers who serve and their families....I have no doubt that you would progress beyond that statement, which is based on ignorance.
What would spending time with the military culture, have to do with changing my thinking about flag waving and patriotism? I see patriotism as a hinderance to peace, and something that blinds people to support whatever what ever war or conflict thier government gets invovled in. As far as being in the military I could never be a part of it because you are forced to fight even if you don't agree with the what your country is fighting for, I'd never would want to kill somebody just because the government say I have too.
A patriotic soldier is basically a brain dead robot who will kill because his government tells him to, he has given up his rights to decide and put his trust in the government to tell him who to kill, to me that is being brain dead.