Dude.

You’re expecting that level of thought process out of a 17 year old kid in a (probably) rural town with few opportunities? It’s not that simple dawg. In my town there were tons of military families that pushed their kids hard to enlist, and when you’re a teenager who looks up to your parents and community it can be hard to break out of that mindset. As much as we love to shit on military jingoism in the US most of these kids have no clue what they’re getting into or the risks associated with enlistment. They’re not reaping the benefits of our endless wars, he’ll not even the top brass is really reaping those. I think your view is just plain wrong.