The Kiwis paid respects for a young Army chap that was killed on duty in operations in East Timor recently. The International Rugby crowd paid tribute before the game. The incident was front page news etc.. The PM was openly upset but proud to be a Kiwi. So for a small country, they appeared patriotic. Good on ‘em and condolences to the family of the chap that was killed.
I agree with the sentiment about the yanks, but some other countries do have a heart that extends to the military, even though the military (especially in the New Zealand’s case) is having the heart ripped out of it. (Cancellation of an F-16 order, no more money on P3 capability [interesting for a South Pacific 'power'], no more upgrades to the A4s, [a jet that will soon be bulldozed off the end of the tarmac - poor lads].