I used to drink 3-4 cans of coke a day while I was in high school. I always used to crash in the afternoon, usually with a slight headache. Taking a nap and having another coke used to pick me right up. After high school I joined the Marines and gave up soda cold turkey while in boot camp for 3 months. When I got back I cracked open an ice cold coke and couldn't finish it, it tasted god awful. Haven't touched the stuff since, and it's been nearly 10 years.

I have to say I disagree with your idea that the U.S. Government is using the military to influence the minds of young men and women. I say this as a former U.S. Marine, I served on active duty from 2000-2004 and when we went into Afghanistan I was all for it. When we started building up for Iraq I thought that it was a dumb idea, even given the false information the President was using to bolster support for the war. I'll have you know I was not alone, a lot of people didn't think Iraq was a good move. Far from giving young minds the Governments point of view, the Marines helped me think for myself about what is right and wrong. It did the same for countless others as well. Of course there are some people in the Military who have a hard on for Fox news and believe the President can do no wrong, but those people exist everywhere. Now I serve in the reserves and am a grad Student in computer science, which wouldn't have been possible without the G.I. Bill, and I still think Iraq is wrong. So to summarize, the U.S. Military is not in the business of brain washing young people, in fact it usually teaches them to think for themselves.