You want to go there! I was in the Gulf of Tonkin ( look it up ) when you were still in school.
Since you brought it up, let's talk about your service. Stationed stateside I bet. And who in the hell does 8 years. That's one reenlistment and then you bailed! What happened? Did things around the world start to heat up and what had been a nice 9 to 5 began to look like it might require more than you were willing to give. Nobody does 8 ! One enlistment or a career is the normal path.
Not that it's really any of your damn business but I had every intention of doing 20. My (ex) wife was a military brat who's Dad served 20+ yrs. She knew how tough being a military brat can be on the children involved so she wanted our children to have stable roots. The ironic part is that I had a line number for tech sgt and got out 6 days before I would have sewn those new stripes on. The sad part is that we moved here to be closer to her family, her parents moved away and we got divorced. My son told me a while ago that she felt bad that she made me get out of the military as she knew that my future there was unlimited.
I served a remote tour in Sicily. No, it wasn't like most remote tours, which are usually in the middle of nowhere. This one wasn't bad at all. The part that sucked was that I was married for two weeks before I left for a year.
As far as working on the inside, I have already conceded that doing so would have given me a greater appreciation for what these kids do for what little they are paid. That being said, you don't have to know how to load them to deliver them.
I would match my work ethic against yours any day of the week. Dave.