“fidelis ad mortem” – faithful unto death

As a veteran of the US armed forces, I swore fealty to the country and the constitution, willingly sacrificing my life – to include death. Does my faithfulness till death make me a man? Is being a sacrifice, or sacrificing myself above all others, for the sake of others…rather is the expectation to die defending other people, and fulfilling that expectation what makes me a man in the eyes of society? I’m reminded by the scene, that defines this expectation, in the movie 300 where Leonidas is told by his wife “with your shield or on it” as he marches off with his contingent to face the Persian army with other Greek forces. Come back victorious or die defending your home. That was the expectation. Does this expectation still hold today?