You won't have missed my ardent boosterism of the militaries of the U.S. and UK. It is only because these amazing men and women choose to serve and do so with such skill and honor and sacrifice that the rest of us can kick around enjoying unprecedented freedom, security, and prosperity.
However, there is another nation's military which is on the very front-lines of the struggle against terrorism, extremism, and indiscriminate violence. They are also the valiant defenders of history's most comprehensively kicked-around, assailed, and dispossessed folks: the Jewish people. And they can never afford to lose a war: Israel has faced the very real threat of annihilation since the first day of its founding.
Here's three minutes that will definitely warm your heart and hopefully increase your appreciation for what these wonderful young people of Israel struggle with and contribute every day.
Not at all incidentally, with freedom on the March in the Arab Middle East, there has never been more hope for peace (finally) in this part of the world. Let's all pray for it, and pray that the peoples there have the strength and wisdom to embrace it.