Robin, the underlying point of the soldier quote (and others like it) is that the liberal society we enjoy comes at a (military) cost.

Except that it doesn't. Without a military, we could be taken over by a 'liberal' nation as easily as an illiberal one. We did not become a 'liberal' nation through the actions of soldiers.

The quote is just an extention of the secular religion particular to the American nation, one of the many religions began to provide a focus for the meme of Nationalism.