When we think abou values in the United States, nationalism is always the first that comes in mind. But nationalism can be many things, from having a flag in your yard to die for your country. That is why I think the United States Armed Forces are a true representation of nationalism. The militars love their country, but above all, they are ready to die for their country.
The United States Armed Forces consist the Army, Navi, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. The military age goes from 17 to 62 years old and the United States Armed Forces have 1,456,862 active personnel, according to Wikpedia. This number is only beaten by China, that has more than 2 million millitars in action. These numbers are really huge if you compare, for example, to Brazil, that has only 327,710 active personnel. Another interesting number is that the Armed Forces have USD 594.4 billion of annual budget, while Brazil has USD 28.07 billion per year.
However, it is not the numbers that shows us how the Armed Forces represent a true nationalism. For instance, this apsect can also be easily noticed if you look at the amount of war movies that are produced in the United States.
In conclusion, it is clear that to serve in the Millitary is actually an honor to most of the people, not only the millitars themselves, but their friends and relatives as well. Therefore, I believe that the United States Millitary is a portrait of the North American nationalism.
Our military is definitely something that we value. These past few years, during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, most Americans have been VERY vocal about supporting our troops. We may not support the actions they are taking, but to serve in the military in this country is generally considered to be a very honorable thing to do.
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