Your concerns are valid. I've been taking the approach of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' and leaving existing 'legacy' web services alone until they need work. For new development we have been adopting WCF the solution to communication problems big and small.
The most tangible benefit is the ease of integration if you have a nice clean object model. The most tangible negative is that (relatively speaking) there are much more configuration headaches, especially when you start trying to secure things.
It is quite possible that your clients won't need to change at all.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.