Ten Things Tuesday: Why I Love Military Men

If you ask most of my friends to describe my "type", they'll probably start off with "well, military ..." And most of you probably already know from reading enough here, that's true. I like the men of our armed forces. But I thought maybe it was worth a little further explanation. It's not a fantasy or a fetish, it's not just that they wear a uniform and I can sometimes picture them filling in for Slider and Iceman on a volleyball court with their tags around their sweaty chests ...

Sorry, focus, what was I saying?

No, seriously. There are a lot of very specific reasons why I am drawn to military men.

Here's 10:

1. They're clean-cut. I like clean-cut guys, I just do. If you prefer the shaggy- or mop-head type, more power to you. I love a short haircut and I loooove a shaved head. Since men in uniform are required to keep it short, this comes with the territory. Weekends and vacations are for scruff and beards.

2. They're in good shape. In fact, most of them are in amazing shape. Especially Marines. Can I get an ooh-rah?

3. They're tough and strong and men's men. Military men are usually like MacGyver and Rambo rolled into one. They knew how to change a tire before they knew they liked boobs, so imagine the kind of manly skills they have mastered by now. They can take care of you and protect you, no question.

4. They're hard workers. They aren't allowed to make excuses for why the work didn't get done. They don't get to call in sick whenever they feel they just need a personal day. They just get the job done. That's how I was raised and I find that quality very attractive.

5. They're down to earth. The majority come from humble backgrounds or at least humble people. If you've been reading this blog long enough, you know I don't have much love lost for the entitled and douchey among us.

6. They tend to share moral, religious and political values that I have. Let's face it, trying to find a manly, conservative, gentleman who at least believes in God and wants a family in the D.C. area is no small feat. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I find the type of men I connect with to be military, more often than not.

7. They're loyal. They move often and they learn early in their military careers the value of having someone around who loves them and will move with them. I know there are lots of statistics about military men who cheat, but all the ones I've met are good, loyal men who truly value the love of a woman who will be there for them.

8. They're smart. There's a difference between book smart and life smart. I personally prefer a man with a good mix of both. I don't meet a lot of lawyers, lobbyists and doctors who have the amount of common sense and life smarts that I find attractive. Military men have that in spades, and they also have a specific expertise in their certain field. I mean, the military trains them and then puts thousands of dollars of equipment in their hands. Trust me, they're smart. And quite simply, I would just rather listen to a man talk about satellite communications or sonar tracking capabilities or intelligence collection than operating on some old guy's gallbladder.

9. They foster strong feelings of patriotism. I don't know how to put this in words, except to say that I find it very sexy.

10. They're selfless. They put their lives on the line to protect Americans and our country and those who serve with them. When The Marine would talk about his job, he told me that he didn't become a hardass until he realized it was his responsibility to get his guys home alive. When The Dude was in Iraq, it took awhile for me to realize how little he was sleeping. After being woken at 2, 3 and 4 am by enough incoming rocket warnings, it's hard to trust yourself to a deep sleep. Military men go through things that most of us can't even fathom while we're complaining about our hot commute to work on Metro. But I have never dated one who complained about any of it. There's something about that quality that just chokes me up a little and melts my heart.

I'm not saying you should agree with everything I feel. We're each entitled to our personal preference. And in fact, I think it's better if you don't agree with me ... I never like to compete with a friend for a man. You can just go ahead and leave the military men for me.