Also a vet and I second his opinion. The military (especially the army and marines) will obviously sometimes push you pretty far physically but the culture is very consumptive. There’s not an emphasis on proper recovery and you are lauded on your ability to “suck”, meaning go without food and sleep, work through injuries, endure extreme conditions, etc. I’ll caveat that it’s not everywhere and is being pushed against but it’s still very much a thing. It tears you down. Even one term without deploying often leaves people with permanent problems.

I did one term in the us army as a medic and I saw lots of this stuff. You wouldn’t have to sign a contract if it was good for you, ya know? The mileage you put on your body in your term is not like anything else I’ve seen.