i was in the navy. dont even ask me about it.
i destest and loath how people are enticed into the military, then used as foot soldiers and cannon fodder for an imperial foreign policy, then not taken care of when their bodies are destroyed, but hero-imagery is trotted out when leaders think it makes the leaders look good.
have a nice ****ing veteran's day. if you really want to thank them, give them medical care and money and jobs. by the way, go talk with homeless people and find out how many are vets.
I logged in today to look for this thread. I was Army. Went on to college after and ended up an adjunct Sociology and Philosophy (ethics/philosophy of education) professor.
Turns out, my subject matter was a trigger for military PTSD, in no small part for the precise reasons you mention here. All of that reading and studying was probably just a way to try to make sense of it all. And it does make sense...for those at the top.
Folks in rural areas, with few economic prospects and little mobility, are particularly vulnerable to the pitch of all the military "benefits." Those with more options tend to take another road. Those who can't "borrow money from their parents for college," in the parlance of Mitt Romney, risk their lives for a shot at the middle class.
When people come out and say "thanks for your service," all I can think is...I just didn't know better.
It's amazing, though, how PTSD can take a person by surprise at the weirdest moments...