I am anti-war, anti-military. I think that we may not succeed in abolishing war until we abolish the institution of the military. And yet...my life was saved once by a branch of the United States MIlitary: the U.S. Coast Guard.

I nearly drowned in the Santa Barbara Channel, and it was the Coast Guard that fished me out, braving killer waves. Not only that, but they were thoroughly professional, solicitous of my every need and comfort, and, dare I say it, caring (in a no-nonsense professional way). They immediately saved me from hypothermia by giving me a hot shower, dry clothes and hot tea and hot soup. They let me stay in the galley and chatted with me, sometimes calling me "sir" even though I didn't deserve it, and generally treated me like a king even though it had been my own stupid foolhardiness that had led to the emergency.

Of course, it is true that every branch of the military, including the more warlike ones, has saved some civilian's life somewhere, sometime. If it were me, I wonder if i would feel as warmly toward those other branches as I do toward the Coast Guard. Or perhaps I would honor their life-saving activities while still condemning their life-taking activities.

It is true that military culture can sometimes lead to undesirable qualities, such as conformity, blind obedience to authority and even habitual brutality. However, we should be honest with ourselves and admit that other military qualities are positive: duty, loyalty, service, sacrifice, courtesy and professionalism. If there were no military, would it be possible to foster such qualities in so many young people by other means? If you removed weapons and war from the equation, you might well find some of the finest men and women in the world.

P.S. My two companions on that ill-fated day (who are both fine) are both military veterans, and both left-wing critics of Bush and the Iraq War.