u/BigBlueEyes87

I'm an Army veteran. I'm incredibly grateful that I'm not in the Army now. I don't understand why anyone would want to serve during Trump's presidency or why anyone would want to fight in a war against Iran. This made me realize how silly I was for enlisting & reenlisting in the Army during wartime.

The soldiers who are being killed in the Middle East are dying for a lying, corrupt, narcissistic, 80 year old man who refused to serve. It's just such a tragic situation to me.

I don't really socialize that much. When I go out to run errands, it looks like many people have given up or seem hopeless.

I know this isn't directly related to loneliness. I'm just posting this because I'm not sure if I'm depressed or if everyone has realized that society's future is bleak and it's showing up with how people act in public.

From a layman's perspective there are multiple reasons to think we're headed for an economic crash. There's an extreme amount of uncertainty right now.

1. The United States is in an on again off again war against Iran. Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz restricting oil supply to the world.

2. Trump is openly corrupt in ways that we've never seen before in America. He's offering insider trading for a premium price from his personally owed social media platform.

3. Trump keeps going back and forth on tariffs on a weekly basis. We've never seen this before in America.

4. The United States has a $40 trillion national debt and high interest rates. The federal government has to pay $1 trillion every year in interest on our national debt. We're likely going to get interest rates hikes soon.

5. There's a weak job market. Basically AI won't deliver on its promises soon enough and will crash the stock market or AI will start taking away more human jobs.

6. Most of the developed world doesn't trust the United States anymore. Trump has been actively hostile towards Canada and Western Europe.

Ever since I was a small child I wanted to be a soldier. I became one. I served on active duty from 2008 - 2014 in field artillery as a 13P. Getting promoted to sergeant at 3 years time in service & being with a brigade that was awarded an Army Superior Unit Award were my highlights as a soldier. Serving on active duty for 6 years & getting promoted to sergeant wasn't easy for me. I'm a quiet and introverted person. I very likely have what was Aspergers Syndrome and had undiagnosed social anxiety and depression for basically the entire time I was a soldier.

For a long time being a veteran was a big deal to me because of my family history. I'm a third generation veteran. My dad and 5 of my uncles served during the Vietnam War era. One of my uncles had 2 purple hearts from Vietnam. I have my dad's burial flag. Both of my grandpas were U.S. soldiers during WWII. I have an ancestor who was an officer in the continental Army who served in the Revolutionary War and was wounded in battle.

I want to move on as much as possible from a veteran identity for multiple reasons. I didn't enjoy most of my time as a soldier. I don't like the constant comparison or dick measuring contests with veterans. I don't feel like less of a veteran because I didn't see combat. But I didn't deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan. I don't like what's happening to America.

I've never joined any in person veteran group. The only time I've been on any military base after leaving the Army was to get a special VA ID card at a small national guard base. I'm currently in the process of getting a patriotic tattoo, that I got in the Army, removed. I'll still go to the VA occassionally because I can't afford health insurance. Besides that, how do I move on more from having a veteran identity?

I haven't seen any polls about military morale in 2026. I'm guessing that morale is low. I don't really see anything to be excited about, if you're in the military right now. Trump is an extreme narcissist. America seems to be moving away from being a free country. America is committing war crimes in Iran.

I've struggled with socializing & maintaining relationships my entire life. I've never been a social butterfly. I've always been a quiet & introverted person. I've often struggled with loneliness, social anxiety, & constantly being misunderstood. For a long time I hoped that somehow I can have a more fulfilling or "normal" social life. I'm 39, and it's never really happened for me.

When I look at society, I don't feel a desire to be a part of it. Americans are becoming more cruel. There's more open hatred & discrimination under Trump's leadership. This makes me trust people even less, & increases my desire to be alone.

I apologize if this is off topic for this subreddit.

Trump, obviously, isn't a normal president & he doesn't have a normal political following.

There are hats, flags, shirts, phones, shoes, coins, crypto coins dedicated to Trump. His signature is on our currency & passports.

Will the Trump/MAGA cult die when Trump dies or leaves office?

I served on active duty in the Army, from 2008 - 2014, during the middle of the GWOT era.

I just left & joined battalions right before & right after they had deployments to Iraq & Afghanistan.

I don't feel like I missed out on anything.

When I see current events in the Middle East of more American soldiers being hurt & killed by Iranian attacks, I don't see the point.

The United States keeps fighting pointless wars in the Middle East for no reason.

The government lies about why we're fighting in the Middle East.

Then there are veterans who brag about having fought in useless wars, & many look down on other veterans who didn't fight in useless wars.

I'm a 39 year old American man. I've spent my entire life, except for 2 years when stationed overseas in the Army, in America. It feels like American society has gotten progressively dumber and weirder since Trump entered politics in 2015. But part of me wonders if American society has always been this dumb and weird, and it's just more obvious now.

Trump lied about having bonespurs to avoid military service. He dyes his hair blonde. He wears orange bronzer as face makeup. He dances to village people songs. He constantly talks about how handsome men are. He likes interior decorating and covering everything in gold. Yet his supporters act like he's super masculine.

Tere are multiple reasons to think that American society is dying.

1. Political corruption is getting worse

2. Corporate greed is getting worse

3. There's almost no sense of community in most American cities

4. Social isolation is getting worse

5. Gambling is being promoted

6. Drug addiction is a big problem

7. Obesity is a big problem

8. There's no one offering solutions to the national debt

9. Food quality is getting worse

10. Lack of education/misinformation is getting worse

11. The wealth gap is getting worse

12. There's no sense of shame among many Americans

I'm an American. I honestly don't know if most Americans want to have normal presidents again. I don't like the constant drama currently happening.

I'm not feeling patriotic, at all, in any way right now. I'm an Army veteran. I'm thinking about throwing away all of my Army stuff. I still have my I love me book that has my contracts, awards, promotion orders, & training certificates in it. I still have my challenge coins, Army PT shirts, dog tags, & Army medals.

I've lived here for 12 years. Lately, I've noticed a lot more graffiti, closed/empty business buildings, homeless people, drug addicts, & drifters.

I strongly believe that I have what was Aspergers Syndrome, or high functioning autism, or ASD level 1. I've had these issues since I was a small child. I've been dealing with depression, social anxiety, insomnia, repetitive thoughts, sensitivity to loud noises and bright lights, trouble socializing, an awkward gait, and also panic attacks which started as a teenager. I don't know if getting professionally tested for autism is worth the trouble.

My life is complicated. I had a very turbulent childhood. I was molested by a family member when I was 3 years old. My parents divorced when I was 5. I saw my only brother in the process of dying when I was 9. My dad died unexpectedly a week before Christmas when I was 13. My favorite uncle died from cancer when I was 14. My sister lost custody of her 2 oldest children when I was 16. Throughout that, I was pushed aside by my family, and constantly misunderstood and bullied by other people for being "weird" and "shy". I was still mocked as a young adult when my mom died unexpectedly when I was 25. She died 12 days before her birthday, and never saw a ring I bought her for her birthday present. I also have some trauma from the military, which isn't related to combat.

I don't know if I explained my life experience to a psychologist if it would confuse them. They also might think I'm lying because there's so much trauma. I don't want any state benefits for possibly having autism. I'm able to function as an independent homeowner.

Ever since I was a small child I've had trouble socializing. I remember being scared of playing with other children when I went to kindergarten and elementary school. I never fit in with other children during school. I never really fit in with my own family. I never really fit in with other soldiers when I served in the Army for 6 years. I never really fit in with other college students when I went to college for 4 years. I've been a homeowner for 5 years, & I don't know any of my neighbors.

I've never found a group to belong to. I'm an adult orphan, but it feels strange for me to identify as an orphan at 39. My dad died when I was 13 & my mom died when I was 25. I'm an Army veteran, but I didn't see combat. I don't feel comfortable around people who ask me about seeing combat or want to talk about the military. I'm likely on the autism spectrum, but don't have an official diagnosis. I won't spend thousands of dollars to get one.

I've spent long periods of my life being isolated. I've burned almost all of my bridges at the end of relationships. Now that I'm in middle age, I realize that I'm never going to have a normal social life. I don't have any friends or contact with any of my family. I spend most of my time with my 2 cats. I basically only leave my house now to run errands or go on walks. I'm not angry at all. But I wonder what I could have had in my life if I was able to socialize more like a "normal" person.