I'm glad to hear you've had a positive experience ellison, but I've had just about the absolute opposite in terms of the medical benefits and family support programs. My father is in the army; he's a field surgeon and reached colonel several years before recently retiring. My family was basically ruined by his time in the service. While we were living abroad with him during his first deployment, we were fed disinformation about the danger of our area - while blockades were keeping supplies out, and nearby neighborhoods were being raided by guerillas, the military news service told us that combat was cooling down. My mom only learned the truth because our relatives stateside sent concerned letters and newspaper clippings about what was really going on. My dad's health has been strained to the point where he may not be able to work any more, and he's an emotional wreck from having to choose between work and family - add PTSD to that after his last tour in Iraq. Now that he's of no use to them, he's been cast aside. His second marriage is also on the rocks, his finances are in shambles, and he has very few options for support now that he's re-entering the civilian workforce. I shudder to think what would've become of him if he weren't high-ranking and well-trained.
While I was still covered on TriCare it was, far and away, the worst experience with an insurer I've ever had - and I was getting services on base. (Keep in mind that, since they dumped me off his plan, I've been dealing with state-sponsored insurers and low-income health clinics.) I've been chronically ill since I was a child and they could not wait to get rid of me - they even started denying me important tests and medications about a year before I no longer qualified as a dependent, because if I were diagnosed with the serious condition my doctors suspected I have, they wouldn't have been able to drop me. Their reasoning was that, if a condition was discovered, there wouldn't be enough time left on my coverage for treatment - for a chronic condition I'll have for the rest of my life. As a result, I've had to drop out of school and have been skirting homelessness ever since. So, if you think service will mean that you and your family will receive lifelong, quality medical care, keep in mind that there are some very heavy caveats.
As much as I have to gripe about my own family's situation, many of my friends who served had it much worse. I don't even want to get into the details, because it's too painful to think about.
I've met a lot of wonderful people through my tangental affiliations with the military, but they're all just grunts. The ones running the show... I don't have anything good to say about them. If you're going to go for it, keep your head down, watch your buddies' backs, get as much training as you can, and get back out as soon as the opportunity presents itself. To all of you who do serve, God bless you, I wish I could too - but even if I were able, I'd have serious doubts about this chain of command. Also, I hope I don't offend anyone with the above - I'm just being frank about what I've been through. My experience is probably - hopefully - not typical, and I believe the military has been making efforts to improve the support system for families since our time abroad. But be skeptical, and be informed, because this really is something that will change the rest of your life, in very profound ways.
~Joe