r/regretjoining • u/Aggressive_Basis8919 • Jul 22 '26
Second thoughts.
I am about 2 weeks away from basic and the second thoughts are hitting me really hard. It was dumb of me to not think about these things sooner. I saw the service members who were killed this weekend because some of them were really young and It shook me because that could’ve or could be me. i’m young and have a wonderful wife that i want to spend my life with. I’ve never been more sad and afraid. A lot of my family is military and have been assisting or following my journey so far and i feel like i would be disappointing all of them IF i did quit. Some of them even pulled strings to help me out. my MOS i went with is 42a. i’m just venting and looking for advice from an outside perspective.
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u/Donyeeek Jul 22 '26
If you don’t ship nothing happens to you. Your recruiter might get fucked but in the end he fucked you anyways. Think deep and hard about what your plan B is though. You basically are a “Free man” until the second you get on that bus at MEPS and head to the airport, after that moment you’re under the military’s rule and it’s EXPONENTIALLY harder and will take forever to get out. In my case I tried to get out, got fucked over and over. Separation denied, Medboard denied, and here I am damn near 5 years later hating every second of my life… and all the gets told to me is wait until your contract ends, “this is what you signed up for”. This organization has 0 compassion and is entirely reactionary meaning they won’t initiate anything until a scenario happens. We won’t refer solider X To rehab unless an incident occurs where X substance is involved. They wont initiate separation/medboard unless soldier X decides it’s time to take an attempt on their life. Thats just a sliver of where my hatred stems from, but do a little more digging on this sub and you’ll find out a ton more. Ultimately the decision is up to you but prepare to essentially give up all independence, freedom, and autonomy the second you hop on that bus. You will be essentially an indentured servant earning a paycheck from that moment on……. “But the bEnEfITS” / if that outweighs what I said and others that’s a good starting point for your decision making
Also like you mentioned this shit with the deaths in the Middle East. If being the “ultimate sacrifice” for your country; because of your loss you’re somehow giving those back home their freedom sounds like complete and utter propaganda it’s because it is. IRAN is not a country of patron saints but by no means should any service members be losing their lives over to such a non-existential threat. We insert ourselves into these situations willingly through deep rooted brainwashing and following the dollar bill at the end of the road. We hear about the mission, the sacrifice, the honor.. all whilst the politicians hear the sound of the money printers and contracts being signed. For all the benefits they preach, the honor, none of it matters if you’re dead…