The flag patriotism and intense praise of military action was a lot for me. I remember going to a mall, and seeing what would typically be reserved as disabled parking was instead veteran parking?? And then the cinema in the mall loudly advertising its discount for veterans as well. We do have a general discount in my country too, but it's not so... intense. Like no one else has to know it's happening because it's more of a state benefit than it is a form of patriotism.
Neighbourhoods in general are what I found the strangest when I stayed in the States. Flags everywhere as you say, but also just the intense size, and the lack of walkability (the kurb drops felt massive compared to my country). Beyond that I remember walking for around 20 minutes through a suburb and counting upwards of 10 different company logos on rubbish bins. This neighbourhood seemingly had 10 different bin days rather than one centralised service.
I'm inclined to agree. Main issue for me is that it's not a sustainable practice and you're possibly making this very problem more difficult for the next generation.
Particularly if you plan to have kids, I think it's nice to have one name. It just doesn't have to be a man's specifically. Name mashups are fun, or simply reversing gender stereotypes. I once went to a wedding where the couple flipped a coin to decide whose name they'd take forward and it was possibly the most exciting part of the day.