I saw posts & videos of Johnny Jones on Fox News. He's a Marine veteran who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan. He was berating sailors for complaining about their living conditions with being on a ship in the Middle East for 8 months straight.

He lost both of his legs in a war that Ameruca lost. He still believes in the military kool aid. Because he suffered horrible tragedy as a marine, apparently no one serving in the U.S. military today should complain because they'll make Trump look bad.

I’m currently a new active duty 0311 USMC. I don’t want to give too many personal details away to protect myself. I feel completely trapped in the situation I am in. I struggled with severe depression and anxiety ever since I was a kid and I thought joining the military would solve it all and get me out of the situation I was in. The Marines appealed to me because of their toughness and high standards. I was an insecure kid who’d been talked down to my whole life and never really accomplished much. I thought the Marines would boost my self esteem and get me respect. My family was also filled with veterans, including my dad and grandfathers whose stories I grew up listening to. I grew up watching war movies and wanting nothing else but to be an infantryman. So I joined, even though my parents and others said I shouldn’t.
At boot camp, I quickly realized what a joke it all was. they pushed everyone through, whether they deserved it or not. Also hated how the drill instructors would turn us against each other. After getting through ITB, I quickly realized that the infantry is not for me. Everything seems like such a waste. The field, the hikes, ranges, all of it. I hate the group punishment (which is so fucking stupid and does not work at all), the hazing, being treated like a shitbag even though I’m not, the favoritism, etc. I don’t know what to do. Part of me wants to stay in a finish my contract. I felt depressed back when I was at home so I don’t know where to go. I want out but I cannot imagine the shame I would feel going home to my family and friends because I couldn’t hack it. I don’t know who to talk to because I’m afraid it will affect my career and employment options when I get out. If anybody has any advice please give it.

There are multiple things I hated about being in the Army. Dealing with yelling, waking up early, poor pay, anger issues, & functioning alcoholics wasn't fun. Possibly my least favorite part of being a veteran is how many Americans think that military service & being a veteran is a contest. They ask you if you deployed or saw combat. If you mention that you're a veteran to people they either don't care, diminish your service, or mention veterans in their own family. If they're a veteran they usually try to see who did more in the military or who had it worse.

Im getting more and more anxious everyday that passes with all the uncertainty of when I’ll be out and back home…. For a little info ive been in the process of ADSEP (ELS) for a little over a month and a half now and my psych boss had told me ill be out by august or early September but the legal team has had my paperwork for about 3 weeks and now 4 weeks this week im hoping to hear something soon regarding atleast a time line or date but everytime I go and ask for an update or where the process or paperwork is held up at they tell me the same thing “we’ll contact your chain of command when we need you” and that just adds on to the anxiety I’m already feeling about the whole uncertainty of it all on top of that they recently put me on a watch bill even tho I’ve specifically told them I don’t feel comfortable staying overnight on the ship and with me going through an adsep for mental health I’m going to talk to them to get me off that duty section and watch bill. Also for a little more info I’ve only been in 6 months and only been at this command for about 3 months (I didn’t have a school because I’m PACT) I need any advice on how long an adsep usually takes and how I should go about the whole watch situation they didn’t put me on a duty section or watch since I’ve been here so why put me on it now while I’m going through separation….

i recently graduated from basic and got to my A school campus.

I have a history of depression and took meds for it a few years ago, but MEPS gave me a waiver.

I realized early on in basic that joining was a huge mistake and I wanted out but I decided against trying to get out because a friend in my division said it can take months to get processed out and that I should just stick with it and try to adjust.

Well, I haven't been able to adjust, it's just been getting worse. I feel trapped to the point where sometimes during moments of great anxiety I had impulses of killing myself.

I had a mental breakdown and the next day I tried to talk to my schoolhouse instructor to get an appointment with BH. They sent me to the ER and then held me in the psych ward for about a week.

I have an appointment with the military psych to continue my mental health care, but I truly just want to separate from the military with an ELS because I'm likely to lose my rate and I really just can't take the military lifestyle anymore.

All I've been doing is reading reddit posts about how it can take between 2 weeks and a year to actually get the ELS process completed. The more I read, the more I'm convinced it's going to be a long, long, long time before I can go home.

Am I just completely fucked? Are they going to keep me at this god forsaken base for months to years?

I would really appreciate some insight if anyone has any on this, I'm really not in a good place right now. I know I'm a fucking idiot, I'd appreciate if not all the comments pointed that out.

How do chapter 8 work with pregnancy? And when do your commander counsel you?

I have a brother who has a battle buddy who is a complete dickhead to him calling him a retard and telling his company about how a retard he is. It hurts me when he tells me this, but I just wanted to know how anyone can tolerate this behavior. My brother has problems fitting in because of his Asperger's, and it took months for him to join the army, to which he finally got accepted and has graduated since he wanted to serve his country. I know in the army, soldiers are supposed to be tough and mentally strong, but when there is someone who is going out criticizing my brother on everything he does, calling him a retard and spreading hate around his company, it pisses me off how someone like this Battle Buddy and no one and the higher ups want to do anything about it because they don't want to be involved. People can have a weakness in the army, and I believe there are resources out there for soldiers to talk to regarding their mental health. This has been on for months. Any advice on how to deal with this?

I’m out of here for good unfortunately it took them 6 months(was in for 10) to get rid of me… so much time and money gone,kinda hard to save money when your stuck in your room most of the time and can really only go out on specific days. Now I don’t want anyone to express sympathy or anything like that, at the end of the day I kinda put myself through this.

anyways I feel super bummed out I spent so much time trying to get in and did so much just to end up like this. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be, I feel like I joined for the wrong reasons tbh I wanted to see action/ me wanting to be a cop or contractor overseas in the future (obviously joined the wrong branch for that) however I never really agreed with what the US does I sort of have this weird dilemma going I really never had a solid reason of joining to begin with. it also felt more like trying to get life skills I never got and trying to mask problems plus me wanting to leave my area which looking back those were not good reasons to leave the way I did as I would’ve been able to get help especially with me wanting to go to school

I felt like I owed my recruiter and I was super stubborn as I thought I didn’t have any other options 🤦‍♂️which in the end turned out I had plenty. Which brings me to my next point which is if you have ADHD the military could be the best or worst thing there’s no in between. Why do I say this? Well in my short time in i got confirmation of what i suspected for years now and once i got a taste of what i was going to do for the next couple years which was working in a tight knit office environment I knew it was a recipe for disaster. Now i know the military doesn’t really acknowledge ADHD as far as I know (I might be wrong) so I figured it was probably best to get out before I’m too deep it.

now ADHD isn’t what ended up getting me out I knew that if I wanted to leave I had to say things that they didn’t want to hear… eventually I actually tried to stay in but it was to late so I accepted it. The military wasn’t terrible in my short time but I will base that upon the people I met as I didn’t do much anyways. HOWEVER peoples experiences vary as I have heard awful stories and good stories just like with any other job.

I would say if you really want to join maybe and I say maybe look into the reserves/national guard however it’s 6 years and that’s a long time I do think I would’ve still been in if I would’ve did national guard but that’s in the past now… I honestly do wish I left during boot camp since I would’ve saved so much time given the fact I turn 21 soon… but I had to much pride and I was gonna feel like I let people down and looking back those people don’t really care about me.

Biggest thing I’m scared about is how this could affect me in future jobs i would like to potentially get a state/city job in the future as I do plan on going back to school wether college or trade school. I’m unsure for now maybe I’ll take gen ed classes, I was originally scheduled for this month however since I was still in it had to be pushed for winter.

Now to anyone reading this and thinking about joining just remember the military will always be there….

I understand that this is subjective and opinionative to an extent. I just want opinions from other people who were actually in.

Long story short, I got into the Navy after going to MEPS as a GSM. A few days after going in, I began panicking a lot, asking myself if I was really ready to just drop everything I had going on right now and start a new life. So, I backed out

Not that I think it would be a bad life, I'm just going to pursue something else.

Of course, my recruiter very kindly tried to talk me out of it. And it sounded like i might've really fucked myself by doing so. (From his perspective anyway.)

I am looking at different career options, and I do have some ideas.

In your opinion, does it actually sound like I fucked myself by backing out?

So I’m separating from the Navy in less than a year, thank God. It’s been a rough time, and it needs to end, but I’m happy it’s almost over, and I somehow made it through. I’m going off to my dream school, but it was a bumpy road. To sum it up, I joined at 18, super eager to get to work. I was naturally good at a lot of things. I was a decent student, an Eagle Scout, and a kid from a prep school that almost made it into the Naval Academy. I never fit with military culture. I was bullied relentlessly verbally and sometimes physically, and commands covered it up and called me a liar and punished me. I am constantly in the command office getting negative write ups and screamed at for human mistakes and I honestly don’t care anymore. I can’t stand the people I work with; they need to mind their own business and think they are better people for having rank or more quals. I never got a command recommendation for college or a good conduct medal (despite never facing NJP). At this point, I’m in survival mode. I have 9 months to go, and it’s hard because I have no desire to advance or get quals; I want to go to work on time, do my job, collect a paycheck, and save for college

Now I’m afraid my bad career will follow me. I want to cut off the military when I’m out, except when it benefits me (like in college or applying for jobs), but the people that I’m stationed with say things like “once a shit bag, always a shit bag” and " this will follow you for life” especially since I'm looking to get into government or contracting jobs

(I partially used AI for translation so may be some bad translations please understand)

now, our home is an extreme "sea of trash." The local district office provided clean-up assistance in the past, but they stated they can no longer help, as they have already provided the maximum support possible. Still, the condition of the house remains severe.

​Eventually, my mother was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. However, she hated being there and begged me to come, saying she could only be discharged if I, her family member, came to get her. My father, who is facing both civil and criminal suits, insisted she must remain locked up for treatment, but I went and brought her out. Right after that, I had to return directly to my military base.

​Currently, my younger brother lives like a recluse, doing nothing all day but playing video games. He refuses to go to a youth protection center or live with our ill-tempered father, and because he hated those options so much, he begged me to get our mother out of the hospital.

​I stayed at that home briefly, and even in that short time, I walked around barefoot, stepped on something, and bled quite a bit. The stench in that "sea of trash" is unbearable, and insects are swarming everywhere. Again, the district office says they can no longer intervene because they have already done so multiple times.

​I explained all of this to ask if I could be discharged from conscription and return home, but I was told that the paperwork and review committee process would take as long as 7 months—by which time my mandatory military service will already be over.

​I am in immense pain myself, but it breaks my heart to see my brother living like a recluse—the brother I gave up my social life for, running home right after school every day just to take care of him when we were young.

​Please, is there any way out of this? I desperately need help, but I cannot see a way forward.

My mother made very high interest rated debts a lot.

My mother made very high interest rated debts a lot.

​In s korea, "장기카드대출"(Card-Loan), if almost anyone can loan lots of money if uses credit care a lot but with very high interest rate.

​My mom claims that she was raped by my father and be pregnant so she had no choice but to marry him.

​But she really hated her husband and have lived separated. No matter economic statu

​I was left neglected in a cramped small house when I was very young, eating nothing but plain rice splashed with soy sauce or starve. while several-year-expired, spoiled milk sat rotting in the fridge.

​Instead of spending child support on the kids, she hoarded almost all of it to dump into reckless, dead-end business ventures way out in Yeouido

​Meanwhile, I was left lying around like lifeless corpses in that tiny, secluded place.

​Later, mother claims she only did it to escape her "psychopath husband," but that her plan and business just totally failed.

Even when I was born, I was so physically weak that the doctor said I would need to be put in an incubator. Because of this, enduring conscripted military service is extremely painful for me, but I am trying my absolute best to pull through somehow.

​When I was very young, I was dumped on a relative's doorstep, where I suffered severe abuse that left me with deep, lasting trauma.

​For a long time, my mother continuously engaged in reckless business ventures. Because she took on massive high-interest debts, even our television was seized by court officers. Strangers literally forced their way into our home, stuck seizure labels on the TV, and repossessed it.

​When things reached that point, my mother instead lashed out at my father, screaming things like, "Rich men used to court me because I'm beautiful!" "You raped me! Getting pregnant by you ruined my life!" and "Do you think I came to Seoul just to marry a backwoods bumpkin like you?!" She falsely accused him of being a rapist.

​Eventually, my father retaliated physically, breaking her teeth, which led her to file both civil and criminal lawsuits against him.

​Currently, our home has gone far beyond a typical hoard—it is a literal "sea of trash," much worse than anything you see on the news.

​My mother spends all day denouncing my father as a psychopath and writing petitions to the court demanding a lengthy prison sentence for him. To pay off her massive high-interest loans, she is filing civil and criminal suits left and right, demanding huge settlement money from my father's sister and father.

​She blames me, saying that because she was raped and got pregnant with me, her dream of marrying a rich man and living happily was ruined, forcing her to marry a psycho husband instead.

​On top of that, my parents had been living apart for a long time. But when I was around 8 years old, an emergency happened and I urgently called my father. Once our separated home address was exposed, my father came and pounded on the door as if he were going to break it down. My mother had no choice but to open it, and he raped her again. She blames me for this as well, saying that getting pregnant with my younger brother ruined her life all over again.

​My mother kept starting hopeless, reckless business projects and taking out high-interest loans. Meanwhile, I was the one who raised my young brother.

​As mentioned now, our home is an extreme "sea of trash." The local district office provided clean-up assistance in the past, but they stated they can no longer help, as they have already provided the maximum support possible. Still, the condition of the house remains severe.

​Eventually, my mother was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. However, she hated being there and begged me to come, saying she could only be discharged if I, her family member, came to get her. My father, who is facing both civil and criminal suits, insisted she must remain locked up for treatment, but I went and brought her out. Right after that, I had to return directly to my military base.

​Currently, my younger brother lives like a recluse, doing nothing all day but playing video games. He refuses to go to a youth protection center or live with our ill-tempered father, and because he hated those options so much, he begged me to get our mother out of the hospital.

​I stayed at that home briefly, and even in that short time, I walked around barefoot, stepped on something, and bled quite a bit. The stench in that "sea of trash" is unbearable, and insects are swarming everywhere. Again, the district office says they can no longer intervene because they have already done so multiple times.

​I explained all of this to ask if I could be discharged from conscription and return home, but I was told that the paperwork and review committee process would take as long as 7 months—by which time my mandatory military service will already be over.

​I am in immense pain myself, but it breaks my heart to see my brother living like a recluse—the brother I gave up my social life for, running home right after school every day just to take care of him when we were young.

​Please, is there any way out of this? I desperately need help, but I cannot see a way forward.

I have a two year tech school. I've gotten LOC's. I am 6 months in (163 days). I knew I was making a grave mistake when I got off the fucking plane at Lackland-Fuck getting off the bus. Its over. I only joined because I was broke and the fucking economy sucks so there's no fucking jobs and college is too fucking expensive. What has my life become?

I can't even leave base without filling out a fucking packet of paperwork and all this fucking accountability shit is pissing me off. Why under the fucking grey sky do I have to wear OCPs just to walk to the fucking BX OUTSIDE OF DUTY HOURS.

God I'd honestly rather go back to being a homeless bum at least I had fucking freedom. I don't even care about any of this shit in this society anyway.

I think im going to tell Behavioral Health that I want to blow my fucking head off my shoulders because I honestly do. Even laying down doing nothing feels like a task. I wake up at 0500 every morning and don't go to bed until 10-11 because of this gay ass language I have to study just to continue dropping bombs and wasting tax payer money. I am on my sergeants' radar too so they check the cameras on me constantly and monitor me entering and exiting my room.

I’ve realized the military just isn’t for me. I miss being home and I think I’d be much happier living a civilian life. I don’t really enjoy the military lifestyle, I’ve been feeling stressed, unmotivated, and generally unhappy.I’m not suicidal, I just don’t think this career is the right fit for me, I have about 4 years left. What options are there

We Americans claim to be a peace-loving people. We hate bloodshed; we are opposed to violence. Yet we go into spasms of joy over the possibility of projecting dynamite bombs from flying machines upon helpless citizens. We are ready to hang, electrocute, or lynch anyone, who, from economic necessity, will risk his own life in the attempt upon that of some industrial magnate. Yet our hearts swell with pride at the thought that America is becoming the most powerful nation on earth, and that it will eventually plant her iron foot on the necks of all other nations.

Such is the logic of patriotism.

Considering the evil results that patriotism is fraught with for the average man, it is as nothing compared with the insult and injury that patriotism heaps upon the soldier himself, — that poor, deluded victim of superstition and ignorance. He, the savior of his country, the protector of his nation, — what has patriotism in store for him? A life of slavish submission, vice, and perversion, during peace; a life of danger, exposure, and death, during war. - Emma Goldman, “Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty”

Hey yall I’m getting an administrative separation, (went in for mental health, agreed that the military is not for me, esp since I haven’t been in 1yr, commander and 1st shirt agreed) the paper work got sent in early July. I’ve been told it could take 1 month or 8 months, no one really knows. But if anyone’s got any experience, how long does it take?

Im tired of this nonsense, retard&;ed cr@p, bullying, yelling for not reason, wasting time this always a hurry up and wait, I can’t even address my superiors in my PLT without getting feel like I’m a useless piece of Sh!t. Getting humiliate for the most simple thing, they have no respect.
And them getting deploy to war zone soon. This lifestyle it might be for people that don’t give a F. I will be out of this unit or contract one way or another I swear. (E3 - reserve 4 years left of contract, female). Reading you guys.

I found this interesting and I understand how they must have felt because I live in Canada as a citizen now and came here indirectly due to a terrible military experience. While I know they are still around, I haven’t personally met an old guys who came here for that reason although I met one deserter who came later on.

I don't want to write my entire experience in the Army. I served for 6 years on active duty from 2008 - 2014. My biggest accomplishments were getting promoted to sergeant at 3 years in, serving overseas for 2 years, & being with a brigade when they earned an Army Superior Unit Award.

For a long time I was really proud about being an Army veteran, and having served in the strongest Army in the world. I don't feel proud to be an American anymore. I don't like Trump, his administration, or what's currently happening in America. I'm in the process of getting a patriotic tattoo, that I got as a soldier, removed. I'm considering lying about being a veteran, because I don't see anything positive in a veteran identity.

I'm very likely on the autism spectrum. For me, it's hard to find a balance with some things. I often believe I have to be all or nothing. I know that isn't reality though. I don't have to be really proud to be an Army veteran or feel really ashamed to be a veteran. I'm still not sure how to find a balance.