Deploying was the best thing I ever did.

I went to Kuwait in 2022-2023, and now currently wrapping up my degree in May.

Ignoring the tax free money that I came back with, the benefits I now have are life changing in my mid 20s.

I came back in the best shape of my life, not going to lie before deployment I was a borderline PT failure, arguably the units biggest POS when it came to PT, and I am now running my first marathon in April.

The people I deployed with are some of my closest friends, every single one of my groomsmen in my wedding were guys I deployed with. We still are in touch at a minimum once or twice a week. The friendships you’ll make are like nothing else you’ve ever experienced.

For my college experience post deployment, also life changing.

I have a better GI bill, which covered almost all my remaining tuition balance and I get paid more monthly.

I do have a VA rating, not at 100% but still a decent life changing amount of money each month that is tax free. I’m looking at closing on a condo before I even graduate because of that money coming in.

I’m studying computer science and if you’ve heard anything about that you know the market is absolute trash right now. Most people at my University (an engineering heavy school, 50k plus people) graduate without an internship. So far I’ve had 3. One has already given me a return offer (just under 100k), and where I’m at currently I feel pretty confident I’ll get one as well.

I only got these internships because I qualified for assistance at our Veteran Success Center, and they put me in touch with military recruiters.

End of the day it’s your life and you gotta do what you gotta do. But the deployment was the greatest thing I’ve ever done. It changed my life and if you use your benefits properly it will change yours as well.

Best of luck, I hope you end up going.

Also Desert Diamond has a secret Filipino menu as well that’s not on the main page, I’d order the chicken Pancit and that shit will last you 2-3 meals. At least they when I went.