Excellent post PJ D-dog!!
While I agree somewhat with Kat on the mercenary idea (too many people have sold themselves out, emotionally, financially and physically by going to another country for employment .... I despise young kids, who once they get their degree, run off to the high paying jobs in the States, without a thought to the fact that Canada paid for all their public schooling, and subsidized their secondary education (more than likely). On the subject of joining another country's military, however, I feel that as long as you are still serving in one of Canada's allies (NATO, or a Commonwealth country) you are still serving in the basic interests of what we hold dear: freedom for all.
In 1991, I came relatively close to jumping ship to join the USMC. I was disgusted with how our government decided to sit out ground combat in Gulf War 1. I was travelling through the US (I drove from New Brunswick to BC, and took a side trip to visit an ex-girlfriend who I met through cadets (she was in JROTC at the time, and I met her at Vernon cadet camp, and she was on leave from the Corps (she was a helicopter mechanic)). Anyway, I popped in the USMC recruiting center in Everett, Wahington and asked how I'd be able to join up, gain citizenship, if any of my courses were of use, etc, etc. The recruiter was actually quite shocked that I would want to quit our military, and join theirs. He wasn't experienced in dealing with Canadians, as most Canucks from BC travelled just across the border to Bellingham, and signed up there. That wasn't on my route out to New Brunswick, so I decided to drive east and find a recruiting center in another state to try to give me some info. Short story long, I never did apply, so I don't know where I'd be right now, but I wonder sometimes.
I think dissatisfaction with our military and government have probably pushed a lot of good soldiers south, but it worries me (with this current Administration) if dying for the US is what they had in mind. I know that Canadians can be indifferent or sometimes hostile to our soldiers (a sidetrack: my buddy, who makes Vin Diesel look small, was on leave back in the late 80's to Vancouver Island, and was travelling in DEU's (old tan ones). Anyway, he was on a ferry, and an old woman (about 60) asked him if he was in the military: "Yes ma'am!!!" he replied. She spit right in his face. Mind you, where we are from (my buddy and I) she was probably a draft dodger's wife, so she was probably of that era who hated the military.), but after seeing the outpouring of emotion after the friendly fire bombing in A'stan in '02 (which, if you are cynical, which I am, could have been more anger at the US than sympathy for our soldiers who were killed), it sometimes takes something tragic to wake people up. Witness the killing of the 4 RCMP.....
We all have to die sometime, and we can't pick and choose our wars to fight (well, I guess some people do, but those are true mercenaries, I guess), and I don't know how many wars have ever truly been "just" (if you peel back the propoganda, even on the "popular" wars, it usually boils down to money, power and a country's interests (usually resources)). An example of this, looking at the US as an example, is how long it took for them to enter the Balkans (better than 4 years), WWII (2 years), WWI (3 years), zero interest in Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia, etc. I don't mean for this to be a critique of the US, but I would rather die for something noble (no matter how flawed) such as saving people from genocide, fascism, Nazis, etc than having cheap oil. And right now, I feel sorry for the soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq, as I feel they have been let down by their country's leadership into fighting to serve the hierarchy's own interests.
Having said all that, I still toy with the idea of leaving all that I have done here behind, and starting fresh in the US military (or perhaps the UK or Australian miltary) doing something different from what we have the opportunity to do here. Apache pilot has always struck my fancy, or crewing an M1A2. No matter how I feel that the US gov't is sticking it to their soldiers right now, I can't help but feel I have been spreading my own ass-cheeks for the last 17 years for our gov't to stick it to us by disregarding our needs (equipment, training, overall funding) and sticking us wherever they feel would make them look good (the whole peacekeeping thing is getting old, and when I hear young officers referring to our military as peacekeepers, I know the damage has been done.......).
Anyway, I understand the allure of going off and trying something different, and good on anyone has done it, and I also understand all those that have stayed on with our military ("dance with who bring ya"). Speaking of mercenary, and peacekeepers, I remember watching a news clip a whole bunch of years ago, and an older Cpl was talking about how he was going to spend the money he made on tour on a new house, and was talking about all that, and not the mission (he was headed off to his second tour of Bosnia). This would have been after I went to Cyprus, but before I went to Bosnia. I was thinking: "How mercenary. He should be talking about how honoured he should be to serve Canada, save people, etc, etc". Then I went on my first tour, and then I was talking about how I would spend the money from my second tour in the exact same way as buddy. Idealism is usually rapidly replaced by realism. Nobody in Canada (or in Bosnia) wouldn't have given a shit if I went up in a pink mist from an AP mine, so may as well make the most of what you get for your efforts (in this case, money).
I'm also reminded of a saying I heard: "If you're NOT a socialist in your 20's, you have no heart. If you ARE a socialist in your 40's, you have no brain".
Al