The saving thought though is that, for the most part, the folks I served with, regardless of what branch they were in, were the finest, most dedicated folks I have ever seen. We may have been a far cry from being 'PC' (there was a tendency to...hmmm..let's see...drink, curse, misuse tobacco products (I think it's in the manual that one must have a dip before touching a mortar tube)...and, well, pursue other...uh....oh heck, to be interested in those of the opposite sex), but when it came to the mission there was a commitment to not letting your camrades down that is virtually without equal in the civilian world. Being miserable wasn't exactly fun, but there was the camaraderie of being part of something so much larger than self.
It's hard to explain, I guess. But my youngest summed it up pretty well after he completed Air Assualt school last month, "It rained almost every day. We were always tired, aching, and worried about measuring up...but I wouldn't have missed it for the world."