[ap22213]

Many of my friends and some relatives joined the armed forces in the early 90s. The world seemed relatively safe then, trending upwards, and it seemed like a stable path to a middle class life.

Then the never-ending wars came. And, many of these people now have serious injuries and most have PTSD. They came back changed.

Now, I would never let a relative join the armed forces. Maybe it was a heroic thing to do at one point; I don't know. But, nowadays they're exploited and used carelessly for missions of dubious purpose.