Assuming the position of a prior disposable cog in our military industrial Leviathan is actually good, though. Its the officially outlet for lumpen proles who otherwise couldn’t escape their low caste status. All you need to do is bloody your hands with the remains of villainous foreigners, and you can enter into a lottery to secure a sinecure in our corporate bureaucracy.

I sincerely disagree. Except for the low caste comment I suppose.

The military is more than front line combat roles. There are doctors, dentists, electricians, cooks, carpenters, mechanic's, there are geo techs working on state of the art mapping programs. Every job in the public sector has an equivalent role. And what you get is a stable career with its own bullshit but you get stability.

I meet so many good people. We all learned to work together and become something better. I don't think I ever will get again outside the military. Sure its all boot camp rah rah rah shit. But it serves a purpose. Its putting everyone under a stress to put all of us into a state where we can't rely on just ourselves to get through. It kills the ego by putting everyone into a stressful environment and teaches you that you have to work with each other to accomplish goals.

It doesn't matter how cool or good at stuff you think you are. You're not making it without the person next to you. It doesn't matter your politics, how rich you are, how poor you are, what your education is. That is all left at the door. The military has always been one the most progressive melting pots in our society next to our education system. I think that's something lots of us should experience.