If I had one regret before joining the military, it was reading Starship Troopers. It made the military sound more noble than it actually is.

Then you met people who were going through the motion to serve their contract.

People who would throw their own men under the bus to get promoted.

To be fair, I also thought that the military was a place to feel the earth move and see things blown up.

You are totally right about not joining the Navy. The girlfriend's father could easily make things interesting. When I was doing my training, I found out that 30% of my instructors trained with my brother. Standards were promptly increased.

Then I was posted to an island. Only to discover my school friends would drop by to see me even though I did not tell them where I was posted.