Yikes!! Although I understand your post and respect it, I do disagree with you on most things but agree with you on a few things. Several things coming in play here.
1. When I was in the Navy the first time, before college, we were highly undermanned after severe budget cuts. This led to rating mergers, forced retirements, and lack of safe equipment. We lost lives due to this.
2. After 9/11, I was called up to the Middle East as a reservist while I was in college. The reasoning for this was because of the budget cuts and downsizing during the Clinton administration (by the way....I hate politics and I am an independent meaning I don't side with parties). I remember since they had the budget cuts I was walking around with old weapons that were unsafe and needed much maintenance.
3. I am only speaking on the Navy side of things and not the rest of the branches. But the Navy is very technical. "Piloting submarines" meaning you need a full engineering background. Before you "pilot submarines" you go through an extensive 3 year nuclear school learning science, math, physics. As a side job, I coach marathoners and half marathoners now. I have met engineers doing the same stuff. Some went to college and some were in the Navy...enlisted. They never went to college, but are doing the same engineering stuff the guy who went to college making the same amount of money. Some rates that end out turning good in their careers that absolutely need no college degrees are corpsman (nurses in the civilian world), IT, electrical work, radar men, etc. The Navy doesn't shoot guns, (unless you are involved with security or a Navy Seal). I have met so many great nurses, doctors, engineers that started as ENLISTED in the Navy.
4. The Navy changed my life man. My dad was a poor immigrant and a refugee. I grew up in a low income neighborhood and my mom was an alcoholic. I enlisted because it gave me great opportunities. Recruiters do lie, but mine didn't and even today we are good friends. He specifically told me if I wanted to do this when I enlisted, but even though I was a punk, I was still responsible and the Navy did wonders for me. I got my free college education for serving this country. Since I was a kid I wanted to be in the military. My dad, a factory worker for 45 years, told me to go to the Navy instead of the Army because it was more technical and you learn so much...discipline, respect, and more opportunities to learn stuff "without shooting a gun" (those were his words...lol). Why wouldn't you want to serve your country? This country gave my father, who was in long bread lines in his country before he came here and half of his family was either executed or deported for their ethnicity before he escaped, so many opportunities and benefits that most countries wish we had. So yea....after what happened to my family I went straight to the military.
5. The two traditional colleges I went too had student veterans as the highest graduation amongst all groups. Unfortunately, now that is not the case as many that go to school has PTSD, and drop out but student veterans are still amongst the highest in the nation.
6. I am only speaking on the Navy side here and from my experience. Sure I had my ups and downs, but a military will always be needed and I will always support them. I have been around the world and I lost half of my family in their countries....so I understand what they think in their countries, etc. I HATE WAR....so don't get me wrong. But other countries LOVE WAR (i.e. Russia) and we need a military to defend our country.
7. I agree that we need to put more money in our schools, hospitals, etc. The Troops to Teachers program is a great program sending veterans into teaching into low income neighborhoods and has been a VERY successful program. I work in a school district right now and one thing low income schools need badly are good disciplined teachers. Special education teachers are in dire need and nobody wants to do it. Guess who does it? Veterans.