That may be true. My parents were "White Trash" and I was labeled as a "retard" at the age of 5 and shipped off on the "special bus" for about 4 months.

About what you might expect for the "class" of people who voluntarily sign up for military duty, right?

Losers with NO Options seems to be your position.

My parents wouldn't pay for me to go to college. They thought it would be a waste of money better spent on my "normal brother".

NROTC put me through UC Berkeley for an EE/CS major with a minor in Nuclear Engineering. It was a "full ride" with a monthly stipend.

The Navy became the first "real family" I ever had.

Did they "USE" me in dangerous and morally questionable ways?

Yes, but I signed up for it with my eyes open.

Perhaps that makes me a "loser". It certainly cost me.

I have no regrets though. It was better than anything else that was waiting for me at home.