I've often wondered if the fact that we don't have more recent veterans has actually aided those who would gloss and romanticize a soldier's life. 'Militarism' is probably three things altogether:

1. an idea, a knee jerk belief in the effectiveness of using military force to solve all manner of problems
   
2. an ideology, the romanticization of violence, code of the warrior, love of uniform and various machismo trappings etc.  
   
3. a 'big time' money making economic grab bag of rotating Pentagon and Defense industry board members, Keynesian economics to support the homeland with big paying jobs making weapons systems, tanks and small arms and a way to leverage our defense industry as another element of foreign aide.

Of all these the last is probably most important--and the least important? Indeed, not even mentioned. The veterans themselves.