Wow! My two blog entries late last night got me the most comments I've ever received! Far too many to reply to each and every one of you.
So, First: Thank you to all of you who commented. Yes, I served, back in the bad old days of Viet Nam. Second: I have read Mr. Heinlein's works (I think almost all of them, including "Starship Troopers" - even seen the movie) and I must confess that is where the idea came from. But, as I said in one reply, no original idea is so good that it cannot be improved, so Heinlein is just a start.
Finally, Thank You to all of us who have served, whether it was in the military or in some capacity that served to make the U.S. look good (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, etc). Without your sacrifice, where would we be? Thank You all