Veterans

I am not saying that patriotism plays no role in motivating people to join the Armed Forces.

I am not saying that the states named are somehow un-patriotic or less patriotic either...

Rather, I am saying that using the percentage of young people who enlist as the deciding factor for measuring an entire State's patriotic fervor is dumb.

I grew up in rural southwestern PA - between Wheeling and Washington - we can match up with anywhere when it comes to flags and veteran's charities and the like and we always have a bunch of volunteers joining the military.

But it'd be a lower enlistment rate by far if the mills were still running or the mines were hiring.

That's all I'm saying