ExAF, I agree with pretty much everything you say. The only issue I've ever had is this politically correct opinion that everyone is created equal, or that we all matter. Maybe we all matter, but when it comes to killing the enemy, some people are RIGHT THERE KILLING the enemy, and that deserves a certain amount of acknowledgement and "warrior" respect above and beyond the rest. I don't think everyone is equal, and that there is a warrior "ladder" out there, with some on rungs higher or lower than others. It is close to impossible to define that warrior ladder because, as you say, it has much to do with timing and with situations, and may have little to do with whether or not you have the "get in the game and bust some heads" mentality. All I say is respect the ladder, whatever it is, and realize service members aren't all equal. To me, a JTAC on the ground that has a rocket land 30 yards from him, and 3 minutes later is shooting a guy 15 feet away from him, all while trying to coordinate air support, is more in the fight than the A-10s he's talking to, and that A-10 is more in the fight than me at 30,000'+ loitering, with no real threats, and I'm more in the fight than a C-5 flying into the Al Udeid, and that C-5 is not really in the fight (directly at least), but is helping feed the fight moreso than a T-37 IP at Vance, and that T-37 IP is not operational, but is at least putting through the next pilots to get to the fight so he is more in it than a glider instructor at the Air Force Academy who is more in it than some guy working in the finance office. But that glider instructor might have just come back from Iraq where he was regualrly in the sh!t, and on his last mission one of the Army infantry sergeants he used to BS with just got killed. Before that stint in Iraq, he was flying A-10s raining hate on the Taliban. So that puts his warrior contribution above everyone above in my opinion (well, except the JTAC that was almost killed and had to do some close killing of his own).