No it wasn't systematic genocide, but his point was that the meme is a toejamty joke for probably more people than its accurate for. But in the states we ignore that as an inconvenience standing in the way of our idealized image of the American soldier. We really have glorified the military almost as bad as Hitler did, and it worries me.
Do we need to respect our soldiers? Of course. They've agreed to lay down their lives for us if the need arises. But we seem incapable of realizing that not EVERY death is in defense of the US, and her people. More often than not lately, it's been in defense of the dollar. Perhaps it's because people can't stand the thought that their brothers and sons are dying for an awful cause, and so they HAVE to ignore the bad for their own mental and emotional wellbeing.
But the problem is that because they justify that awful cause, our leadership has not reason to alter course. There is nothing inherently good, virtuous, or sacred about the United States or our leaders or system and of government. If it doesn't best serve the greatest number of people, we need to change it. But it won't happen until people start to think critically about the assumptions they've been indoctrinated with since birth.
