As Canadians we like to consider ourselves "peacekeepers" more than a military nation. We therefore tend to "pick our battles" more carefully than say, our American or British cousins. We said "no" to Iraq, but "yes" to Afghanistan and Rwanda because we genuinely thought that our intervention was warranted.
Because of this, I feel there is a genuine sense of pride for many Canadians when it comes to our military. We are still looked at with tremendous respect in many European nations like France and Holland because of our efforts in WWII.
With Americans, militarism is such a part of their history, (eg: The Star Spangled Banner) that I think they are conditioned to see anyone in uniform with respect. There was a brief period where this wasn't the case, (Vietnam) however, the 9/11 attacks as well as other "terrorist" incidents have restored the public image of the American soldier. (At least in the U.S.A )