If you never joined the military, where do you think you would be and what would you be doing?

I always wanted to join the service, played Army all the time when I was a kid. I was going to join the Army, until I got into Jr. high school, then I thought I would go Air Force, but realized I wouldn't be able to fly planes, then I thought I would join the Navy, like my dad, WWII vet, but they weren't wearing the cracker jack uniform. They went to the milkman uniform, like the Army Greens, but Navy looking. I finally decided on Marine Corps, because they had sharpest uniform. I turned 18 my senior year in high school, called myself off school, and enlisted in Marine Corps. The day I came back from MEPS, I was having a beer with my dad, and told him what I did. He said " Goddamnit son I told you if you would of went Navy, you would have a clean bunk, and a shower every night, why you wanna be a glorified mud jock for". I said, " I want to be in the best". Did my hitch, got out went to school on my GI bill, got a good job, but I missed it. Joined the Guard in 85, stayed until 2014, deployed a lot, now I am retired 1SG getting all the benefits. It definitely put me on the right path for life.

Living in Arizona, married to my high school sweetheart and trying to make it in law enforcement...

Really glad it didn't turn out that way. Uncle Sam has done right by me.

I honestly don't know. I had no real direction set and was just living in the moment.

I would have had fewer scars, fewer friends, and a lot fewer stories.

I would probably live closer to the town I grew up in and make less money but I would be much closer to my family.

Probably dead broke after having worked multiple dead end factory or fast food jobs. I "MIGHT" have made the jump to my current career in EMS/Fire but I doubt it. Most of the decision to pursue Emergency Medicine came from my experiences on active duty.

I would like to believe that I would have been a lawyer, the truth is as an inner city youth in the 70’s I’d more than likely would be performing a labor intensive job at a mid level supervisory.

I have always been a mentally strong, hard working loyal person but opportunities in my home city were lacking I the late 70’s.

PROUD TO HAVE SERVED.

I would be one of two places,pissed in my pants blackout drunk,or dead.

Probably still working even more crappier jobs, lol

WHOA ~ I Love Answering This One.
When I Enlisted On My 17th Birthday ~ 06/29/1961 The Recruiter Asked " Do You Have A 10th Grade Education" Uh ~ So I Got the Message And Replied "Of Course", Although I Dropped Out Mid- 9th Grade After Failing It TWICE, As I Was Attending "El Instituto Pan-Americano" In The Republic Of Panama, And Had No Chance Of Ever Graduating Because They Were So Far Ahead Of The US Schools I Hadn't A Chance Of Catching Up. SO Where Would I Have been If I'd NOT Enlisted (And Taken Advantage Of The Educational Programs Afforded Me?) Let Me Ask Ya This: "Does McDonald's Still Need Anyone To Scrub Their Toilets"? ~~If SO, I'd Have Retired From Mickey "D"s
THANK YOU ~ USAF And USAFI ~ I Done Done Perty Gud Cauz Of Ewe. (Read My Bio If Ya Wanna)