Are for-profit universities really that bad, or do they provide a reasonable service for the military?

I don't think the financial situation is really a big deal (unless they're about to go bankrupt). The only thing that matters is accreditation. I've never seen in any official policy of the follow on schools that I want to attend when I get out that they do not prefer for profit schools. AMU is a solid choice though. UOP is seen as a degree mill by most organizations. The amount of work I have to put into AMU assignments is a lot more than I planned. I originally started to do some of my gen ed with them thinking it would be a quick process. I was so impressed by the work required I decided to finish out my degree with them. I'm about a year and a half away from a Sports and Health Science BS. That program itself has won a couple awards for its cirriculum. My first degree is from a community college. I think having a variety of degree sources may help your resume. Maybe one from a local community college, one from a for profit school, and one from a state college.

Some are good some are not.

I went community college for a while. I recommend that if you've been in the military for a while.