>joining the U.S. Military after the catastrophic clusterfuck that was the Vietnam War
U.S. Military. It's essentially a declaration that you've lost the game.
Think about it. The power of free will and you *still* settle for slavery. Wonderful, no?
From an early age, you're influenced by your environment. Your parents (or lack of), teachers (in some manner, shape or form) and other mentors can help steer your life in a direction, whichever direction that may actually be.
However, during all of this, if you're still alive and have most of your bodily functions, there are a whole world of opportunities available to you. Especially in this day and age of technological marvels and the wonders of the Internet to provide information (and, of course, misinformation.)
The military should not even be an option, at this point, because not only is there enough information to suggest that joining it is only for those who've allowed themselves to be brainwashed by a military-industrial complex keen on retaining what power they have left ... but there is also enough information available for people to make their own decisions on what they'd like to do, instead.
Still, people join. They wish to be broken down and remoulded in somebody else's image.
This is a sign of weakness. Of allowing one's self to be influenced and corrupted by those with power and ambition. Essentially, those who join the military are no-better than mindless sheep.
>tl;dr: Join the military? You're a faeces-flinging, irradiated, nuclear-powered rhesus monkey who enjoys others making decisions for you - and you probably stink.