The Most Depressing Thing About Being in the Military

Hey all, I am a veteran. I joined as infantry enlisted, got to many combat deployments, and then commissioned and did 10 years as a helicopter pilot.<br>I got out a few months ago, and a good friend of mine is still in the service. Today, we were having lunch at a Panera near a major base, and a kid comes in sweating bullets. He was shaking, horribly, and was taking short, gaspy breaths. We were in the way back, so we could hear him talking to the staff horribly. I don't know what was wrong with him, but I've never seen someone so scared that they were quivering like that. Some people around us were mortified, but my friend and I figured this guy needed help. Shortly after, a base cop comes in and this kid jist starts FREAKING OUT, begging them not to take him back. At this point, the people around us are making it known they do not want this near them. Look, I get it, the kid was hysterical, and he needed help. Shortly after, two base MP's and a medic show up. They grab the kid, and I can hear him begging them not to take him back. The cops tell the woman at the next table over, "Don't worry, we'll get this crazy veteran out of here". I just wanted to scream, "He's not a crazy veteran, HE'S A BROTHER WHO NEEDS HELP!". The kid is taken away, and that's where I lost it. I started to cry.<br>I was a Dr. of Psychology, I've done time overseas, I've seen the worst of humanity. You would think I would be capable of handling this. I'm not. I'm still shaking as I write this. We as a society are completely fucked, and so are we as a nation. I know he's just a kid, but why did he join? Why am I helping the country I love by killing myself in the process? Why am I getting kicked out of Panera because someone I love is having a crisis? I think I might be coming back to the military. It's not for me, I know that. But we have so many broken brothers and sisters in the military. I may have a chance to help them, which might be enough for me.