I never served in the military, but my dad was in Korea, firing 105mm artillery at the N.Korean Army.
Vietnam was over before I was 18, and Desert Storm started when I was 32. In between, I spent my life running a dairy farm, raising a family, and being a REAL CITIZEN of this country, by voting and being politically active.
FWIW, I first voted in 1978, for governor of Virginia, our state houses, and local officials.
I have voted every year since then, every single year. I have not missed a single election, even when I felt there wasn't a damned thing (or person) worth voting for, I voted.
2008 was no exception....