[wehadfun]

Clearly you are not familiar with Military culture. Military and their families live, eat, party, go to theaters, go to school, shop,... on Military bases that civilians have limited if any access to. Some are stationed in foreign countries or are on float (working on a ship) for months. They are definitely separated from the rest of us.

[chrissnell]

No, that's simply not true. I've said this on HN several times through the years but it is still and will always be true: the US military is a slice of Americana. Virtually every subculture represented in America can be found in the US military. We live in your neighborhoods, eat at the same restaurants, watch the same TV shows, and send our children to the same schools as you. We are you.

[mpyne]

Military bases have places to go to, yes. But they certainly do not seclude or sequester themselves from civilian life.

Indeed, if military servicemembers actually could be relied on to stay on base many senior officers would be inordinately pleased.

But do not confuse being able to walk on base with a complete isolation with the civilian sector; servicemembers still have civilian friends, parents, relatives, spouses, children, in-laws, social acquaintances, often co-workers, and the list goes on and on.

As far as being on a ship (with access to email, news, and Facebook...) for months, what do you think happens to civilian mariners, or astronauts, or offshore oil rig workers when they're gone for months? Are they necessarily isolated and socially inept too?