Should Western (American) Military Forces stand apart or with society?

NOTE:  Gonna ask your forgiveness on this one.  It's disjointed and slightly rambling.  I might take it down but if it's still up I hope you're able to follow my line of thinking.

My focus is the US military but this applies to all Western forces.  Should the military of free nations stand apart from or with society?

Point.

The forces of the free world must represent and protect their nations.  Standing with society is necessary for this to happen.  Additionally it should reflect the tensions inside a nation, its strengths and its weaknesses.  To separate the forces that protect a nation from the society it serves only weakens those institutions and breeds distrust.

Counterpoint.

Western culture is decadent and lazy.  The military must reflect a different value system.  The average citizen isn't required to put himself in harms way.  The military is.  What is allowable in society can't be tolerated in the military.

Point.

Separation breeds contempt.  Creates a warrior class.  Endangers the Republic because we're building into powerful institutions that they are superior to average citizens.

Counterpoint.

Separation breeds excellence.  The separation from society was instituted when professional forces were established with the end of the draft.  Citizens are no longer required to perform the civic duty of serving the nation for a set amount of time.  There is no contempt implied by the fact that certain citizens have taken on the responsibility for protection of the nation.

Do you get where I'm going here?

This crossed my mind.  Some of the issues that the US military is dealing with in my mind boiled down to this issue.

My opinion?

At this point in time the West needs a warrior class.  The West needs a certain number of citizens that are willing to do the hard thing.  To make the sacrifices necessary to protect their nations.  If we no longer require citizens to serve a set amount of time in uniform then that means that those people (those that choose not to serve) are required to shoulder another responsibility.  To ensure that those forces, their fellow citizens are asked to go into harms way in order to safe guard their nation.  Not to protect others.  Not to follow dubious global schemes, not to play masters of the universe.

The military must stand apart because they're being asked to do what others are not, can not and will not do.  To expect the military to mirror society is to ask our military to fail.