You agree with Igor. You mean you think the trials and tribulations of military life, in particular in wartime, builds character? That's what he was saying. I disagree.
Well not exactly. Character is another thing altogether. I know some pretty damaged people who have served.
Think of it this way. My father's generation lived through the great depression. They suffered privation for many years. My father, as a child and young adult went from being in a well-to-do family to picking crops to make enough to eat. I think this experience gave him an appreciation for all work and especially hard work that it is hard to get for some people today. In my dad's generation you always heard the mantra, "all work is good. Do whatever you need to do as long as it is honorable". My father did not look down on any kind of work. You can see this in the minimum wage. Keeping it at a near livable wage was a no-brainer for my dad and many of his generation. And he was very happy to achieve a middle class lifestyle.
Military toughness can have the same affect on people. I know that it is very good for me to remember what it was like to be at the very bottom of the totem pole. I think it was a valuable lesson to totally commit to a great enterprise. Few people are asked to go all-in like a soldier is.
Military discipline is often misunderstood, particularly in the training a soldier receives. Think of it this way. Young people getting to basic and advanced training have had little experience with teamwork. And they are pretty cliquey. They are not used to operating in difficult situations with a very diverse group of folks. So the Army puts them under a great deal of pressure in the guise of discipline. The idea is to make it so hard that one person alone can't accomplish all that is required. So new soldiers have to work together to accomplish the mission like it or not. Even mundane tasks help with this. Back in the day I might have to polish some black and Latino guy's shoes while the black guy makes our beds and the Latino cleans the floor. Teamwork. And we are all in the pressure together so the social dynamics of race, economic class, religion, and the like just disappear in the need to cooperate and graduate. Anyway. Even in the SEAL or SF training a great deal of the toughness is aimed at subordinating the needs of the individual to the needs of the group.
In combat this comes home in spades. But make no mistake. This kind of pressure can damage people. PTSD is a real thing. Remember what Igor said:
@Igor Antunov Experiencing the worst of the worst puts the rest of your life on easy mode, if the former doesn't break you. So it can be a highly beneficial thing, to experience some severe adversity for short periods of time.
Don't miss the underlined parts.