Immediately after high school I spent four years in the U.S. Air Force in the early 1970's and I am a honorably-discharged Vietnam-era veteran. I did not serve in Vietnam though. I worked with the nuclear missile program and was a launch crew member for the Titan II Intercontinental ballistic missile. My title was 'ballistic missile analyst technician'. I was called a BMAT in short. I was trained in electronics, missile launch and guidance systems. You can learn about the Titan II missile program by clicking the link below. If you want to open it in a new browser window or tab then right-click on the link instead of left-click.
Enlisting in the Air Force was one of the smart things I have done in life. The military is not for everyone but it was good for me. I turned 18 in boot camp. The military gave me early lessons in discipline, teamwork, organizational bureaucracy/games, pecking order and how to respect and follow rules. I think the same things can be learned in the Boy Scouts though and you don't risk your life in war.
In case you are wondering: I don't approve of the war in Iraq and think we should have stayed out of there. As I have grown older I have come to understand that the U.S. does not get involved with any other country's affairs unless it affects our economy somehow or affects the wealth of some powerful people. For those of you that think we went to Iraq to free the people from a terrible dictator I encourage you to read this article at the link below and tell me why we aren't going into these countries to free them. The article appeared in Parade magazine some time ago.
The World's Ten Worst Dictators