Anyone ever join the military after leaving?

by DocHayes 1 Replies latest jw friends

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  DocHayes

  I was raised a JW and never knew much of anything besides it. I became inactive in 2001 (the Sunday before 9/11 was my last meeting!), and officially DA'd myself in January of 2004. Later that year, I enlisted in the Navy Reserve as Hosptial Corpsman. I deployed to Iraq in 2007-2008 with the Marine Corps (as their medic) for a 7 month combat tour.

  When I went in a lot of people said that I was subsituting one Institution for another. I did see a lot of similarities, but for the most part I really learned a lot of things about myself, and life that I never would have had the chance to learn as DUB. All in all, I felt like I fit into the military lifestyle as well as anyone else does. The big exception is that I never attended Lay Services, and often told the Chaplain and his RP's to F*** off.

  Anyone else ever go in afterward?
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  rockmehardplace

  i do not know anyone. my wife has said once in the past that she knew a brother who was df'd and shortly after left home to join the military. she said he had very little options since his job before being df'd was pioneer and he could not find a job. i could see why some do it though. you want a sense of belonging and purpose at that age (18-34) and the military is a place that gives you that along with life skills and job training for the outside world.