r/regretjoining

Hi all, i want out the navy i cant do this anymore ive hated this from the start while in bootcamp but everyone’s always says just keep pushing it’s gets better but it never does i hate everything about this and i want out i left for bootcamp jan 6 and been in almost 7 months im undes so i never went to a school before i got to my ship i dont know what to do and im worried that if i cant find a way out ill end up doing something dumb and try to force a way out i feel stuck and hopeless and im not suicidal but my mental definitely has been getting worse and worse i hate it here and i want out i dont even care about the benefits

Please explain why also. Thank you!

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.

Hello,

I am in my early 20s F and I just got sent home from deployment early. It was an opportunity that was available and I took it up.

I have been in the military less than 2 years. 6 months of that was before basic training. I didn’t have an option to go on this deployment, I was volun-told. However, I came to terms with it and was looking forward to it, even with all the shit going on with Epic Fury.

For context, when things got scary, I was not handling the experiences I was having well. It was a great deployment until it wasn’t (we started getting hit).

Before these traumatic experiences, I genuinely thought with all my heart I would handle the situation much better and I was prepared. I began spiraling after the 3rd instance at my location. I didn’t sleep more than 2 hours for almost 4 nights. I was so scared, terrified. Especially at night, I would have panic attacks (never ever have had those), overwhelmed by the fear of when something was going to hit again and the worry of not being alert/prepared for it. It was the worst feeling of my life. 1 day felt like 3.

I am an emotional person, however, I naturally lead by example and take leadership roles. I even received an award my first month there for my performance. After the scary experiences, the reaction I had surprised me. I turned into someone I didn’t know. I was literally driving myself insane.

I am at a safe place now, having the time to really reflect. I am a very open minded person, always trying to do better. I am trying to understand why I spiraled so hard when the other people in my shop and around me were not as emotional. Don’t get me wrong, people had their moments and we were all scared, but no one else spiraled like I did. I was sleeping at work with night shift because I was too afraid to sleep in my quarters. I wouldn’t eat or call people back home because I needed to be attentive to every sound, movement, and things that were going on around me. It was exhausting. Typically, I am not like this. I am usually not the person who is wanting exceptions to be made for me or catered to, but in that environment, I got to a point where I didn’t care how people thought of me, I just needed to do anything in my power I could to gain more sense of security and safety because I was incredibly scared.

I have many mixed emotions about going home. I obviously got to a state of mind where I could no longer focus on the mission. I was too scared and I, therefore, was a detriment to my shop because of it. However, there is this other side of me that feels guilt, shame, undeserving. I didn’t get hurt physically, I don’t even have children to get back to. I feel like I have failed my team. My shop was understanding. Of course, there were those who I could tell thought I am just a crying b*tch and that they were upset they couldn’t go home too. I don’t blame them.

As I reflect, I think maybe I shouldn’t have signed that contract. Even though I have exceeded expectations and excelled in my small military career so far (guard), I disregarded the fact that this could ever happen. I never thought I would be involved in a war, let alone ever deploy to ME. Of course, I don’t think many people saw this coming or this experience being what they ‘signed up for.’

Questions I am beginning to ask: Is it good that the military is letting people go home due to mental health reasons during combat? I would think so… Or should they be doing a better job preparing Airmen for combat?

I did not feel ready for this experience and I feel that I could have learned more tools on how to control my fear in very very unpredictable situations. I am not religious, but this experience is making me want to be. Many people that were very scared but held it together impressively, said they were leaning on their faith and wouldn’t be able to continue without it.

Thank you and I am curious as to what people think.

i am in dire need of help or advice or just someone who has gone through something similar , i’m in A school it’s been about 2 months of me being here, im still under the 180 days. i saw BH for 3 weeks they didn’t help for shit, got diagnosed with adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression. i made the dumb decision to smoke. (marijuana) and i self referred because i didnt want to pop on a random test, its been 3 weeks since then they made me sign a consent form with legal for the test and provided a urinalysis, it has been radio silent since i haven’t heard anything at all. i just got notified i am being classed up tomorrow which was highly unexpected because i thought it was zero tolerance in the navy? and i’m just wondering why would they put in a classroom. can anyone give me insight.

I am about 2 weeks away from basic and the second thoughts are hitting me really hard. It was dumb of me to not think about these things sooner. I saw the service members who were killed this weekend because some of them were really young and It shook me because that could’ve or could be me. i’m young and have a wonderful wife that i want to spend my life with. I’ve never been more sad and afraid. A lot of my family is military and have been assisting or following my journey so far and i feel like i would be disappointing all of them IF i did quit. Some of them even pulled strings to help me out. my MOS i went with is 42a. i’m just venting and looking for advice from an outside perspective.

I’m 24 years old and have a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. During college, I worked as a lake patrol officer, where I gained experience protecting natural resources and serving the public.

After graduating, I attended the police academy, but I tore my labrum during defensive tactics training. After surgery, I had to pursue a different career path.

Now I’m deciding between Marine Science Technician (MST) and Boatswain’s Mate (BM). I’m passionate about environmental protection, which makes the MST rating especially appealing, but I also enjoy the hands-on operational work and variety that comes with being a BM. The Coast Guard aligns perfectly with my education, experience, and desire to continue serving in a meaningful way. Thanks in advance

I have been reclassed to another ait army I’ve been in over 180days and I want out what do I do

A little update for yall I got a doctors recommendation that I’m not fit to serve and they’ve recommended for ELS (entry level separation) my command agreed with it and have started the process typically how long does the process take ? I plan on talking to legal every few days so they don’t forget about it or just burry the paperwork when they get it

The Army—or at least the unit I’m currently serving in—has become deeply frustrating. Maintenance is chronically poor, and many of our vehicles are decades old and unreliable. We routinely overtask Soldiers while leadership often ignores concerns from those closest to the problems.

The evaluation system has also lost credibility. Evaluations can’t be taken at face value because everyone is expected to read between the lines. Comments that appear positive on paper—such as “top 20%” or even “promote ahead of peers”—are often interpreted negatively depending on context, making the process confusing and disingenuous.

At the same time, we continue separating Soldiers at a high rate while simultaneously claiming to have a manning shortage. The barracks are in poor condition, and many of the inspections, demonstrations, and “dog and pony shows” feel more like performances than genuine efforts to improve readiness or take care of Soldiers.

After seven years as an officer, it’s difficult not to feel disillusioned. I’m currently an O-3, and for the first time, I’m seriously contemplating whether staying in the Army is the right decision.

Finally had a breaking point last night so i walked into BH today pretty much told them everything about how I'm spiraling out of control, my history with depression and anxiety, and the unfortunate incident that happened to me yesterday. I told them i had SI and mentioned how bad i was doing within the unit. They booked me for an intake tomorrow and put me on a 30 day no weapons profile. (My job requires me to carry a weapon). When i met the psychologist after meeting with the therapist sgt, he mentioned the FTA discharge but never said it was gonna be initiated. I just want to know if Im on the right track of getting the fuck outta here, and some advice on my intake tomorrow.

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.

Don’t get me wrong there’s cool dudes I would call friends in the army we go out drink have fun and all. But I’m on leave rn and it just reminded me how much closer I am and how much more fun I have with my hometown friends. It’s rly making me miss civilian life and I just wish I was able to be as close to people in the army as I am with my hometown boys. Is anyone else experiencing this or have any advice?

I wish I can go back in time and just keep walking past the recruiting station.

Maybe I should’ve joined another branch and not the army…but sometimes I just think “what if I just completed them 3.5yrs. I would’ve went to Afghanistan, then ETS’d maybe 1yr later” I mean when I was going through the process of getting out (chaptered out under DADT) a few of the SGTs were like “no don’t go, after deployment it gets better”
I was like, “it’s not even about deploying, this life isn’t what I thought it would be and I don’t trust any of you”

I was SA’d one night and I reported it, I did all I could despite not knowing who the man was…..but I kept getting harassed by men and eventually I was outed by a “battle buddy” I confided in. That prompted an investigation and ultimately I was the joke of the company. I was truly embarrassed.

I joined because I wanted to help and defend America. I was athletic but I was homeless and it was pretty much a do or die. The recruiter made it seem so good. I was made to believe that the Army was my way out….i cry sometimes because I wish I was who I was before I went in….a part of me is still lingering in those barracks. The Army took a part of me that I wasn’t willing to give.

I didn’t mind going to war because I truly believed the US was going to get the bad guys…now, learning more and listening to other vets who did go to the sandbox, a part of me is like “did I dodge a bullet” yet, the other part of me is like “I’m a pos for not going”

I threw out the rest of my cup of kool-aid, but I still have the empty cup…

I feel like a loser, but I feel like I did what I could to ensure my safety and survival because look at the other women since that have been hurt or worse by their own. Vanessa Guillen for example…women are not protected and it’s sad because there’s a lot of bad ass women that are meant to be in uniform….

I just want this pain and feeling to go away. 🥺

The Army is just an organization where most of the bullies, sociopaths, psychos and evil live.

It’s kinda like prison…

RSP recruit here, got sick of the guard already and decided I don't wanna do it no more. Recruiter is slacking regarding ELS paperwork, 1sgt mentions state law that I must attend RSP but i'm not a really in the guard yet according to his own words before, state IG directed me to TDS and awaiting for their response. Don't feel like going to RSP at all lol. Any thoughts on how to best proceed so I can just leave already?

Hello all, still depressed, still hate the army. just wondering if it's still possible or easier to get out via ELS even after TRADOC. Im still in the ELS period till September. If so whats the best way to go about initiating it?

Hey, to give some context I just got to my first duty station in Japan. I went through bootcamp and A school and struggled a lot mentally. I want to separate as soon as humanly possible to go back home to the states. Although I know everyone say to just finish out my first contract I don’t think I have the will or mental strength to do so and would rather just get out and go back to working as a civilian. I honestly could care less about keeping the benefits, the o my thing I care about is going home but I just don’t know where to start since my ship is still underway. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.