Everyone should join the military for at least four years. - Corporal/ Patrol Leader US Marine Corps Employee Review

Benefits Travel Culture Growth opportunity Meaning

Depending on the unit, culture can take a dark turn. The easiest way to mitigate this impression is to spend enough time to see multiple units.

In no particular order: Pay and benefits, especially dental and medical, which if one's spouse has private insurance basically mean no medical, dental, or vision expenses for children. The base housing is the last of the true suburbs with children playing everywhere, grocery and convenience store shopping, and gyms within walking distance. A variety of duty and business trip locations worldwide. A great feeling of really serving one's country, until you realize "war is a racket", and then more introspection, and again feeling great about serving one's country. If one chooses their occupational specialty correctly, a civilian career can follow seemlessly, and if not, the Veteran's Administration can assist with retraining and transition.

Again, in no particular order, the food provided by the government is often unhealthy and gross, so you have to focus on nutrition. Trying to get travel claims and other reimbursements can be tedious. Experiencing physical and psychological terror. Boredom, no, ennui, to the point where the movie "Brazil" is like your "Office Space", as you find escapist amusement in your thoughts-- hyper sanity. Getting addicted to the adrenaline produced in reaction to one's service, and the behavioral/epigenetic changes it causes. Endless waiting. Serving with criminals, psychopaths, and sociopaths who thrive in war zones as fish swim in the sea. The military justice system which can be unethically applied, but I suppose the civilian justice system is also vulnerable to corruption. It's a people business, so if you don't like being in a childish fraternity, this "job" probably isn't for you. Getting attacked by other service members, because they are violent people, duh.