the duty though is not extra-ordinary. to be extraordinary it has to be rare. it's not there a few hundred million soldiers in the world to proof that.
Anytime someone puts their life on the line, or enters a situation where there's a chance it will be on the line, for their country, they're doing something extraordinary--it doesn't matter if there's a billion other people doing it.

Also, the only reason the whole "hero" and "support our troops" thing even exists is to gain support for the war.
You'd be surprised how many of us horrible conservatives have always supported the military....

Anyway, it doesn't matter if a soldier is an F-16 pilot patrolling the skies, an army private sitting in a foxhole, or an airman at home with a desk job. The sacrifice is still the same - to serve, above all else.
Moreover, experience has proved again and again that just because you don't go all-out bullet-stopper infantry grunt doesn't mean you won't see combat. My drill sergeant, when I was in, told me that one of the best soldiers he ever fought beside was admin--the guy did paperwork, when folks weren't shooting at him.