Spent 25 years in the Navy, often with a cup of coffee in one hand and a Pall Mall in the other. Would never do it again, but would not trade those years for all the gold on the planet.
Ahh...so you know that ‘look’! (Heh, WHO smokes filter-less Pall Malls nowadays???)
In the four year stint I did, I learned more about myself and life in general than I did in any other four years of my life, including (and it isn’t even close) college.
I am grateful for having been able to do it...and to not have had to serve in a time of war.