[Scorpius]

I served a hitch in the U.S. Navy, and then another in the Reserves. In the end - it was not for me. The reason - I wanted a family, and I was not willing to put my family through what I had witnessed so many others go through. Some family's do survive the ordeals and come out intact, however, many more do not. To those those that do - I salute you - Brazo Zulu. It takes truly special people, and this is no BS, to make it work. I respect those people immensely. But I did not want to take that risk myself.

While I was in the military, it was good experience for me. I think that the military gets a little too much credit for turning boys into men. Most young lads join at a time when this tends to occur naturally. However, the military hastens the process and does teach one to be responsible, else be held accountable. That there is something greater than one's self, that one is an integral part of something and that others depend upon you, and you must depend upon others. That to be successful, to achieve the mission, there must be teamwork. These are valuable lessons.

As a naive, young Kansas lad - I learned a lot. I also got to see a lot of the world, and there is good and bad in all peoples, but to see how so many people must live in other parts of the world, the things they suffer, for no reason other than the misfortune of having been born there - well, for me at least, it installed a deep appreciation of the life I have in the United States, while at the same time, I can harbor no animosity towards those that want to leave their hell holes and come make a life for themselves here.

I also remember feeling very insignificant the first time I went out to sea and went topside and looked around and could see nothing but water in all directions. It is humbling and good for a soul.

To answer the question - it depends upon the individual. I did not like the autocratic nature of the military personally, but I understand why it is such. While I was in for a short duration, I found it challenging to "play the game" - but one important lesson I took from the experience was to recognize that whether one chooses to play the game or not, the game exists and is being played by others, and in the end - you are part of the game no matter what you think. You must decide however, whether you will be a willing participant and if you will try to win or not. What is winning? Again, depends upon the indivdual - you figure it out.