I was fortunate, after two years+, RVN.
School was full of fellow vets!
Next working for an uncle, a WWII guy as were most of his employees...
Moving on in the world most of my male superiors were vets, and they sheltered me.
The CEO of the company I worked for was a WWII vet of some distinction, I had no idea until I read his obituary.
The old guys later said he had been behind me BIG TIME!
I mostly only saw him at meetings, or in passings, that was it!
Today my USMC Infantry son, three runs in the sandbox, out of school and out in the world, the connections are much farther apart. A top student, top trainee...at one job interview, they said all is good, but you are not our kind!!! My blood boils.
The band of brothers provides a cushion from the aholes.
I became eligible for the draft as the VNW was closing, volunteered for the Navy aiming for medic; my whole family is in the hospital field. They said I had an antibody in my blood they couldn’t explain, probably from a childhood illness; disqualified. For some reason the better part of my worthwhile friends have always been vets. A former POW and a highly decorated injured vet fallen on hard times are in my neighborhood, and a day doesn’t pass.