In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Q: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is promising to maintain an American military "with no comparable power anywhere in the world." 
  
 (Click Prev or Next to continue viewing images.) 
  
 ADVERTISEMENT (Click Prev or Next to continue viewing images.) 
  
 David and Cynthea Brown, of San Diego, wait for the start of a campaign event with Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at the Veterans... (Associated Press) 
  
 The presumptive Republican presidential nominee faced a San Diego crowd estimated at 5,000 on Monday in what was billed as a Memorial Day service, not a campaign rally. But he drew clear contrasts with President Barack Obama. 
  
 Romney is warning against shrinking America's military in Europe's image. He says America must have the world's strongest military to win wars and to prevent them. 
  
 Romney was joined by Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Vietnam veteran who says Romney is "fully qualified" to be the nation's commander in chief. 
  
 Obama paid tribute to veterans in the Washington area Monday. 
  
 A new Gallup poll shows veterans prefer Romney over the president. ||||| On this Memorial Day weekend, Mitt Romney apparently is getting a big boost from US military veterans. 
  
 Mr. Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has a big lead over incumbent Barack Obama among vets – 58 percent to 34 percent, according to a new Gallup survey. In essence, they’re the reason President Obama faces any “gender gap” among men. Among nonveteran men, Gallup finds, Obama has a four-point edge, and they’re essentially tied (46 percent to 46 percent) among all registered voters. 
  
 It’s an important group. Veterans make up 13 percent of the electorate (24 percent of all adult men). And although a dwindling percentage of Americans have served in the armed forces since the end of the draft in 1973, they’re an important part of the GOP’s base. In 2008, Sen. John McCain beat Obama among veterans by 54 percent to 44 percent. 
  
 In Pictures: The Next Mission: Veterans Returning Home 
  
 During his time in office, Obama, as commander in chief, has made a strong effort to show support of the troops – both active-duty forces and especially those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and now face struggles with war injuries (including post-traumatic stress disorder) as well as a struggling economy that makes it difficult for some to find civilian work. 
  
 "We have to serve them and their families as well as they have served us," Obama said in his weekend radio address. "By making sure that they get the health care and benefits they need; by caring for our wounded warriors and supporting our military families; and by giving veterans the chance to go to college, find a good job, and enjoy the freedom that they risked everything to protect." 
  
 Why veterans are so strong in their preference for the Republican presidential candidate is not entirely clear, Gallup concedes. 
  
 “Previous Gallup analysis has suggested that two processes may be at work,” writes Gallup editor in chief Frank Newport in his analysis. “Men who serve in the military may become socialized into a more conservative orientation to politics as a result of their service. Additionally, men who in the last decades have chosen to enlist in the military may have a more Republican orientation to begin with.” 
  
 Several closely watched states in the election have large blocs of military voters, The Associated Press notes. Florida, home to several military installations, has more than 1.6 million veterans, according to the Veterans Administration. Pennsylvania has nearly 1 million veterans, while Virginia and North Carolina each have about 800,000 veteranss. 
  
 Like much of their respective generations, neither Romney nor Obama has served in the military. This will be the first election since World War II in which neither major-party candidate is a veteran. Among GOP contenders, the major exception this year has been Ron Paul, who served as a flight surgeon in the US Air Force. 
  
 Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. 
  
 “Barring unforeseen developments such as the re-institution of the military draft, the proportion of the male population in this country that will have served in the armed forces will decrease in the years ahead as the older population dominated by veterans dies off,” Newport writes. “These data suggest that Democrats could get an overall boost from this demographic phenomenon as these apparently reliable Republican voters become a smaller and smaller proportion of the population.” 
  
 In Pictures: The Next Mission: Veterans Returning Home |||||
A: 
President Obama and Mitt Romney both honored Memorial Day today, as a new Gallup poll shows that Romney has the advantage among military veterans. A big advantage, too, at 58% to 34%, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Veterans are an important part of the Republican base; they voted for John McCain over Obama 54% to 44% in 2008, and there are large numbers of veterans in closely-watched states including Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. But the percentage of veterans in the US is dwindling: They currently make up 13% of the electorate, but as the older veterans die and that proportion decreases, the Democrats could ultimately get a boost. Gallup suggests two reasons veterans may prefer the GOP: "Men who serve in the military may become socialized into a more conservative orientation to politics as a result of their service," writes the editor-in-chief. "Additionally, men who in the last decades have chosen to enlist in the military may have a more Republican orientation to begin with." Assuming Romney clinches the nomination, this will be the first presidential election since World War II in which neither the Republican nor the Democratic candidate is a veteran.