I know a lot of people who were in the military, I lived in a town with the two largest military bases in America. I don't know anyone who came home from war more stable mentally than they were when they left. One of my friends has brain damage, potentially from a drug they tested on her. One friend suffered from horrible PTSD for 5+ years after he got home. Both of them have tinnitus.
Many of them spend their money on flashy cars or Rolex watches the second they come home since the military never taught them how to budget. Many get married just before they deploy for the extra $$ the military gives if you're married, but then their spouse at home takes most of the money and they end up with a costly divorce at 21 or 22 years old.
The recruiters lie constantly. They will say anything to get you to join so if it isn't on paper, it's not happening. If a recruiter is telling you something, have them show you where in the contract that is. If it's not there, it's just a lie.
TW: Child death
One of my friend who went career so he could retire at 28 was doing really well. He'd been deployed once, got married just before but to a wonderful and caring woman. She built a life for him so he had a house and a modest life when he came home. They had 2 kids and were happy.
Shortly before the end of his career, he re-deployed. He had a 5 year old son and a 3 year old daughter. One day while he was at war, he was holding outside a building to protect his fellows soldiers inside. A child, around 5 years old, started running directly towards him.
He and the other soldier outside were both yelling at the child to stop, turn around, leave, but the kid most likely didn't understand. Sometimes the enemy would stuff dogs or people with explosives and send them running toward soldiers, hitting the trigger when they were close enough.
He'd already had to kill several dogs that week, which is always heartbreaking, and this child wouldn't stop. So, when the kid got too close, my friend shot him. The kid lay there screaming and writhing around, getting weaker, while my friend continued to hold position and wait for his fellow soldiers.
By the time they left the child had stopped making any noise, and that scene is forever seared in my friend's head. He wonders if he could have shot for an arm or leg and the kid would have turned around and run away. Or he could have fired a warning shot, not hitting the kid at all to make him turn around. He doesn't believe the kid had explosives, but he'll never know.
Every time he looks at his son he thinks of the parents who lost their child that day. He came home to retirement, but he brought the war home and has never really recovered. He never told his wife about the little boy, couldn't bring himself to tell her. I think he told me because I was leaving the state soon and he needed to get it off his chest.
Anyway, to get back to my point. Joining the military for financial stability is reasonable, but you have to be good with money and make a budget. Maybe work with a financial planner or something.
Joining the military to improve your mental health is insane. Basic will break you down and build you into a soldier. When you come home, all you know how to be is a soldier, if you're lucky. If not, you come home with a lot of trauma, a drinking problem, and debt.
Idk if we're still sending our soldiers to war, but even if we aren't right now, no one knows what the next 4 years holds. You can't bet on getting to stay home.