Would you do it again or take a different path through life?

I rape children.

I would. The AF has been one of the best decisions I've made in my life.

I'll bet the AF would've been one of the best decisions of my life. :P

Thing is though, I would've phailed college if I did that right after high school. I would've been pissed off that I wasn't doing anything more exciting. Now I am emboldened to go to college when I get out, earn a degree and not be a fucking retard like a lot of other ex infantry or reenlisting motards. I don't want to get out and be a cop or work retail security or a call center job or work at Mickey D's. I want to have recruiters call me asking me to "get back in the action" and double over with laughter while throwing the phone against some granite wall.

Really it comes down to this: when you join ask yourself how well you follow orders. Not just follow, but blindly believe in them too. If you ever sit there and think that they way someone does something is stupid and your way would be better, then the military probably isn't for you. Because you'll probably sit there and wonder why you have to get a haircut every single week, rather than once in a while. You'll wonder why you have to get up at 1:30 in the morning to go on a hike at 8:00. You'll wonder why you can't take leave days except for on a battalion leave block or get off of work before 21 fucking 00 or stand at parade rest for some douchebag who is clearly not as intelligent as you, but has just been in for a little longer than you. These things will eat at you and your decision to enlist, and you'll only look forward to your EAS.

It's a rare breed, but some people just don't have a problem with doing anything and everything someone tells them to do. These are people with no capacity for critical thought. Am I painting with a wide brush? Sure! I'm sorry though, there's no way I can convince myself I'm keeping my country any safer floating around in a ship for 7 months. Especially when I know they can deploy troops by plane faster than the Navy can land us somewhere.

I would have listened to my pops and went USAF instead of USN. Canned sunshine, baby!

I think people get way too involved in the details. If you're just there to work an honest day's work, and get some college money, good. If you can't follow rules worth a shit for whatever reason, you're going to have a hard time.

I was ordnance. The rules we had were "written in blood" because many years back, idiots would injure and kill themselves working in weapons. Yeah, long hours and low pay sucks, but what's waiting for you when you get out is totally worth it, if you can just sit down and STFU long enough.

I actually kind of miss the military now that I'm out. I think the absolute best part is all the people you know - civilian life is kind of boring and lonely.

The one thing I don't miss? Not assholes (which are everywhere), but watchstanding. OMFG, our section leaders were worthless. It never failed that they fucked you out of breakfast or sleep.