Our military was degraded for over a decade afterwards, as well as the affect on public opinion about the military

It definitely affected my opinion about the military.

Most of my father's family served in the military, from his eldest brother who was a Navy pilot right at the end of WWII (which ended before he got his wings and was offered to leave, but he chose to stay because "the boys who have been serving need a break") down to my father - the youngest - who spent two years in the Army as a helicopter mechanic shortly after the Korean War ended. That even included my Great Aunt, who was already an MD and joined the Navy as a doctor during WWII.

But I grew up during Vietnam, and saw it on the news almost daily. Two neighbors' sons (one next door and one two doors down) were a little older than me and both had to register for the draft in the late 1960s or very early 70s. I recall their mothers talking to my mother about how scared they were. The war ended before either were drafted, but that fear of the military was already instilled in me.

--Peter