Oomis,
I personally do not want to see chareidim or Kollel men in the army, but to be honest, who exactly do you think DID serve in the Jewish army in the days of Moshe Rabbeinu and our shoftim and neviim?
There’s not much of a comparison – those were accomplished talmidei chachamim, who were not in any spiritual danger from joining the army, and whose primary occupation, even during wartime, was learning (consider the encounter between the malach and Yehoshua).
Contrast that with the present situation, that developing Torah scholars are being threatened with losing the ability to learn and develop, and be put in a spiritually toxic environment.
Many people, especially the non-frum Jews in E”Y, feel great resentment of those who have never served. They could not care less that the Yeshivah bochurim unquestionably provide a great spiritual shemira for klal Yisroel. They don’t GET that. All they see is many able-bodied men who do not have to put their physical lives on the line in the same way that is required of THEM. If we are to be intellectually honest, we should be able to understand their frustration, even if we disagree with their objections.
I think most chareidim do understand their perspective, but don’t give it much appreciation because it’s based on a non-Torah and in many cases anti-Torah perspective.
Do they understand our perspective, as you put it, “that the Yeshivah bochurim unquestionably provide a great spiritual shemira for klal Yisroel”?
Maybe some do, but for the most part, the anti chareidi venom which I’ve seen spewed in the media not only doesn’t get this point, but doesn’t even grant the chareidi tzibbur the benefit of assuming that it sincerely believes in the power of shemira which learning Torah provides.