When I was 17 I got my Mother to sign off the enlistment documents and joined the Marine Corps.
5 years, 3 tours, and never regretted one minute of it.
Only got out because Stateside duty was boring as hell.
I moved into a basement apartment in Astoria Queens, New York. The rent was 400 a month. I was earning 800 dollars a week (400 take home) as a union ironworker.