Commentary
I have a theory. Part of it goes like this. A lot of guys join combat arms in the military as a way to seek out adventure. More than “serving my country,” many enlist with the intent of experiencing the stuff movies are made of. A great many who had this as a motivator in the last 17 years were able to experience the very activity that drew them in: combat. There has been no shortage of this, especially for those in the infantry and Special Operations.
But two things happened along the way that upset their quest.
First, they realized that military life was not at all what they imagined. Although combat—to include living on a small FOB or COB, patrolling, HVT hits, calling in air strikes, shooting at people, etc.—may have been a thrill, it made up a small percentage of a life mostly regulated by AMs, pointless classes, and keeping one’s hands out of one’s pockets. PowerPoint presentations on sexual harassment do not exactly feed the wandering warrior soul….