dSomeone asked this and I wanted to post a response here.  First, yes.  I joined at 17 and finally got out at 50.  I worked for something greater than myself; I was part of a team that had at its core intentions was to do good.  Perfect execution, no.  Everyone in uniform an angel, no.  I made 11 deployments all from 8 to 14 months long.  That is a lot of time away from my family.  I moved dozens of times and own nearly a dozen houses.  In the house that I own now, was the very first time I was at the closing.  My wife has been a rock in my life. 

Yes, I have been around weapons.  I worked with the teams and supported them in the field.  I have led teams that have worked all around the planet.  I have been shot at a number of times.  Most of these were while delivering humanitarian aid to villages in the jungles of southeast Asia.  The largest single humanitarian air delivery organization is the US Military.  For me as a logistician, I have worked extensively to deliver aid all over the planet.  

Medical care, well you kinda of get what you pay for on that front.  I never really entered the medical field until I was extremely sick at the end of my career.  It was all free but access was limited.  My care in the OR, ICU, and ER was not up to civilian standards and I ended up with trauma from those experiences and I have trouble dealing with doctors and nurses.

On balance, I would do it again.  Not perfect by any means, and there are many bad people in the service and the service has made a number of errors.  But the balance is positive and overall it was a positive experience.