The fact that people can't even see why anyone would think that it's a waste of resources to look for a soldier for 18 years shows their bias. I haven't insulted the soldier or his family, but I think that a search and rescue for that long would take a lot of man power and money that could be better spent on living people who are still active. I won't apologize for that.
I think it's a mistake on your part to think that we don't understand WHY you think it's a waste of resources. I understand perfectly what your perspective is.
It's just wrong, in light of my nation's ethics. If I wanted to live life by your warrior-less ethics, I'd move to a nation where my defense is subsidized by other nations with brave, red-blooded men & women still living in them. I'd know, every single day, that my nation was basically defenseless and beholden to the blood of the brave, amongst whose ranks I did not belong.
I'd throw stones from a distance, telling them that they were wrong-headed and stupid, and that the money spent to retrieve the bones of a man who died almost 20 years ago was wasted. I'd do everything in my power to feel like less of a coward, from a nation lead by cowards.
I'd be distinctly uncomfortable about the homage paid to the warrior culture by my neighbors to the south, knowing that my nation had essentially abolished everything that makes a nation free.
Let me spell it out for you clearly:
You know that we are somehow different from you, in a way that you cannot precisely articulate, and it makes your skin crawl.
I think I speak for most of the Americans here when I say that we're okay with that difference. And, we're okay with your skin-crawling and your discomfort.
You should feel those things. Your nation has surrendered everything that separates the free man from the slave, and you glory in your servitude.