> army people [...] are normally pretty isolated from social issues and don't have very well informed opinion of their own.
is both untrue and offensive.
EDIT, never mind I see you took the bold stance of commenting from a throwaway.
Indeed, if military servicemembers actually could be relied on to stay on base many senior officers would be inordinately pleased.
But do not confuse being able to walk on base with a complete isolation with the civilian sector; servicemembers still have civilian friends, parents, relatives, spouses, children, in-laws, social acquaintances, often co-workers, and the list goes on and on.
As far as being on a ship (with access to email, news, and Facebook...) for months, what do you think happens to civilian mariners, or astronauts, or offshore oil rig workers when they're gone for months? Are they necessarily isolated and socially inept too?