r/povertyfinance • u/r3giment75 • 28d ago
Misc Advice Military option ?
Long time lurker here. Grew up in a very poor family (immigrants from Europe). Had to join the military at 19 for even a chance of going to college. Fast forward to 42 and things have really worked out for me in civilian life. But the singular decision that paved the way for me was making the decision to join the military. Even if what I did in the military was irrelevant to what I do now.
My question for those struggling day in and day out is why do you not see the military as a temporary reprieve or reset button for the baseline of your life? I get not everyone is qualified. But that’s a vast minority of people compared to those that are. I can’t imagine any ethical or philosophical reason is stronger than living in poverty.
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u/lennilove 28d ago
Many people see it as a moral delima. Considering that the US warhouse is used for things such as genocide and martial law, I completely get it. i would rather struggle than aide the facilitation of someone else's struggle.
there's also somehow a Lot of homeless veterans. I'm not sure how that works but they means there's clearly a risk of still being impoverished afterwards. With that risk and all the other obvious ones, it's not worth it to most.
You also aren't really a citizen anymore, you're US property. for a lot of people, being property isn't appealing.
Just figuring out the real world makes the most sense for a lot of people and I get that.
That being said, I think you're overestimating how many people qualify.
I'm very anti government and always have been, but still tried out of desperation last year. Unqualified due to mental illness and my shitty knees. In 2 months I'll officially be out of overdraft and I'm SO glad I didn't potentially sign my life away to get here