Nobody likes me!

I recall that my wife used to have a little quote, under certain conditions: "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me - think I'll go in the corner and eat worms!
Well, that's the way soldiers have felt over a long, long time - a bit like the police as well.
Now, it's revenge time!
It seems that this is the period of Governmental "savings" policies, and all over the World, in France, Germany,UK, USA, Canada amongst others, Military Barracks or Casernes are in line to be closed down.
And...... people don't like it!
Suddenly, the Soldiers are our friends!
Actually, the locals have suddenly realised that if their local Barracks are closed down, the whole town or village will probably go bankrupt!
I recall, years and years ago having to try and translate from a British Senior Officer to a Mayor or Burgermeister of a German town, just WHAT the 3 British Casernes in his town actually represented.
Jobs for the locals, Commerce in the shops, Banks, Assurances and elsewhere, local properties being rented as accomodation for British Army families at higher prices than local prices, etc...etc...etc...
So - if there should be the occasional punch up in the town, between Soldiers and Soldiers or Soldiers and Civilians, there was always the MP brigade on hand. If there was a fire in the area, all he had to do was call on the Army Fire Brigade Services as a secondary help, Security in his Town was considerably better than elsewhere and many, many more things.
I think he got the point!
Or maybe he just wanted re-electing the next time around, and a couple of hundred more unemployed wouldn't help!
That's what is happening right now ......... "Our friends - the Military!"
Great - ain't it!