People can talk shit about the different services but when its you children on the line all that goes away.
My son had graduated H/S and had been working local. He came home one day & said he was Joining the Army, to which I said over my dead body. Well I go Marines then, I said I'll just cut you throat right now. Well that only leaves the Navy & Air Force, yep & you don't swim worth a shit!.
Why the A/F? Because if you want a bankable skill set, and to be treated like a human being plus saluting the older fucks as they go to war, like it should be the A/F is the place. Oh but I want the memories & stories like you, no you fucking don't trust me.
What I learned about all the services is this, and for hrs i told him about my interactions with them all.
Condensed, The Army & marines are but cannon fodder with some real fucked up leadership who are high on their selves and will throw you under the bus for chest candy in the blink of an eye.
The Navy, on shore not all that bad but blue water when that ship goes down it could be an Indy all over again quickly.
The A/F can be huge target for canned sunshine, yes, but they have much better defenses that the other three as well as much better food, billets & you are treated like a human being.
Still not believing all I told him, he went to the A/F recruiter and spent some time then inked the paperwork.
After 2 tours in Korea, & Japan both he was starting to see everything I told him first hand. The defining was after a tour in Iraq & A-stan when he said he was glad I pushed him to the USAF, after seeing how the other services were treated/housed/fed ect. Now retired he still has a bankable skill set (none cannon fodder) for the rest of his life.
In my day Army guys were treated like dog shit, then spit on when back home. I was not going to allow that to happen to my son.
Having war story's to tell is one thing but getting to live thru them w/o pain and all your body parts for the rest of your life is more important than some b/s story's, that get expended upon all the time.