Prior to the 1970s, and the establishment of a large professional army, the United States had a strangely bipolar relationship with the military. From the very beginning, the nation has been distrustful of standing armies. Throughout the 1780s and 1790s, the various incarnations of the US government wrestled with the issue of whether to even have a standing army or navy, with Congress generally being extremely reluctant to allocate funding. There was a concept, held by many, that units could be raised for any war, and supplemented heavily by militia, without risking military tyranny. This did not work out well; the US Capitol was burned after a large militia army broke and ran from the advancing British regulars with barely a shot exchanged.

On a more personal level, the small, standing army was generally viewed as a collection of underemployed wastrels, especially in the 19th century, when the vast majority was composed of either recent immigrants or men who could get no better job. This is perhaps explained by the fact that soldiers were very badly paid during this period, more often than not stationed in tiny posts on the western frontier, and generally lived an austere lifestyle. Furthermore, the idea of serving under strict discipline was unpalatable to the national character. Thus we see, for instance, during the War of 1812, the regular regiments having great difficulty recruiting because militia service was safer, more pleasant, and generally more popular.

On the other hand, there was a great deal of prestige that came from wartime service, generally in the militia or, later, during the Mexican War and American Civil War, in volunteer regiments raised for the war. This was seen as defending the nation in its time of need, rather than living off the public dole. A reputation and a political career could be built on such a foundation. Any number of American presidents of the 19th century had done military service in one or another such outfit. Washington, Monroe, Jackson, Harrison, Tyler, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln, Hayes, and McKinley all served as volunteers or militiamen during times of national conflict.

In the 1950s the percentage of active duty and veteran military was very high. 16.5 million served in WW2 and 5 million during the Korean war. 470,000+ killed and 700,000+ wounded in both conflicts. That's out of a US population of 160 million in 1953.

The draft pulled men from all geographic areas so most people in the US had relatives, friends and neighbors who were veterans or serving in the military. People were aware of the sacrifices and hardships the military endured from personal experience.

Germany, Japan and later the Communists were seen as enemies of civilization with only the US military standing in the way of our destruction and enslavement.