Why do soldiers and vets go to war?

Another quote from the "Old World Order" article from Books & Culture:

Robert Boothby, another of the political rebels who put Churchill in power, speaking on Armistice Day in 1934, to a British audience with no taste for war: "Today, tyranny has regained the upper hand in Europe, and the danger of war is as great as in 1914," he said to stony silence. "If we simply drift along, never taking the lead ... then everything that makes life worth living will be swept away, and then indeed we shall have finally broken faith with those who lie in the fields of Flanders."

Why do soldiers and vets go to war? I thought of this as I read that quote. The reviewer points out that most of these political rebels who supported Churchill, and his policy of standing up to Hitler's tyranny, were veterans of WWI, while the politicos who supported appeasement were not. I found that odd. You'd think it would be the other way round. That those who've tasted the horrors of war would want to avoid it at all costs, while those armchair generals who've never known war's pain and privation would be the first to want to go back. But this is often not the case. My personal observations support the facts of history. Why is it that soldiers and vets still are willing to go to war? Some people are prone to think it is because of their warmongering spirits or lust for violence or some such. I think the quote from this speech gets much nearer the mark. Soldiers and vets go to war to honor the sacrifice of their fallen comrades. They sacrifice to honor their sacrifice. The brotherhood of arms is real and esprit do corps, serving with the guy next to you, is the tie that binds.

I really resonate with this. I mean really. I'm something of an agnostic when it comes to war and peace. I really want to be a pacifist, and know that one day we will live in a Kingdom of Peace, but recognize that for now this may not really be possible. It makes me sad. But I deeply respect the courage and camaraderie of those who serve and sacrifice out of respect for others who share a similar calling. In fact, as Jesus followers, and those interested in peace, I think we have much to learn.