there is a difference between awareness and experience much like the difference between reading a menu and having the meal
Yes. The plural of anecdote is not data.
Having worn the uniform for a year and seven months doesn't make me better aware of things military than a military historian.
Having met a drug addict (and I've met several) doesn't make me better aware of the details of the War on Drugs than someone who studies the various data and statistics.
And so on, on every possible subject.
Worse yet, my arguments are not made less valuable due to my age. If I got a 70-year-old to voice the same arguments they would not become more valuable.