The OP asked what the pros and cons are to serving in the military. As a 15 yr veteran of the Royal Air Force (weapons tech) I can't find one con to list, with maybe the exception of having to do parades now and then (I hated parades). Fair enough it's a 24/7 x 365 job but for the most part it's like many other 'normal' jobs where you get to go home to your family & loved ones at the end of the day if you aren't deployed somewhere. The odd exercise here and there is a chore but they don't come around every week.
The camaraderie is second to none if you pick your trade well...as an armourer I know I joined not just a trade but a brotherhood that lasts well beyond our time picking up the Queen's shilling. If you excel in a particular sport then expect to be doing that more than you do whatever trade it is you picked...the military is a great place to be if you're good at sport.
As for getting deployed to somewhere shitty it's a risk, much more these days than when I joined up. I was in the service when the Falklands War kicked off but didn't get deployed however I was out in the Middle East when Desert Shield/Desert Storm kicked off. The trade I picked ensured I wouldn't be going hand to hand in a trench somewhere...we were based in Saudi Arabia which was many many miles away from the front lines though we were in range of Saddam's SCUD missiles and my diary says we had 28 sent our way.
Personally I wouldn't swap my time in the Air Force for anything, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. It might seem a tough go at first but every serviceman goes through that. Basic training is designed to weed out the ones that can't operate under pressure or can't tolerate being told what to do. You get past that phase and your world suddenly gets a whole lot better.
These are just the experiences of a British ex serviceman that hopefully provides a bit of contrast to what more than likely will be input from my North American counterparts, whatever, it's all good.
The camaraderie is second to none if you pick your trade well...as an armourer I know I joined not just a trade but a brotherhood that lasts well beyond our time picking up the Queen's shilling. If you excel in a particular sport then expect to be doing that more than you do whatever trade it is you picked...the military is a great place to be if you're good at sport.
As for getting deployed to somewhere shitty it's a risk, much more these days than when I joined up. I was in the service when the Falklands War kicked off but didn't get deployed however I was out in the Middle East when Desert Shield/Desert Storm kicked off. The trade I picked ensured I wouldn't be going hand to hand in a trench somewhere...we were based in Saudi Arabia which was many many miles away from the front lines though we were in range of Saddam's SCUD missiles and my diary says we had 28 sent our way.
Personally I wouldn't swap my time in the Air Force for anything, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. It might seem a tough go at first but every serviceman goes through that. Basic training is designed to weed out the ones that can't operate under pressure or can't tolerate being told what to do. You get past that phase and your world suddenly gets a whole lot better.
These are just the experiences of a British ex serviceman that hopefully provides a bit of contrast to what more than likely will be input from my North American counterparts, whatever, it's all good.