With our government's infamous excursions into Afghanistan and Iraq for reasons that were later found to be lies, and with Iran next on the list, it would behoove any high school graduate to find other ways to fund college than enlisting in the military just to get money for college.< p>

Remember, recruiters have been known to "gloss over" unpleasant realities (we could call this lying, but I digress) or resort to good-old-fashioned deception. One recent, notorious example aired on ABC News and showed that some recruiters will do anything to make their quotas.

There are a plethora of scholarship websites on the Internet, including FastWeb.com, Scholarships.com, and College-Scholarships.com. Even if you don't get into your top four-year college right out of high school, you have the option of attending your local community college and working toward the General Education requirements of a four-year degree. In short, there are precious few skills that can be taught in the military that can't be learned in civilian life.

Don't get me wrong; I am not bashing service to our country. I am a ten-year Navy veteran that has been at the tip of the spear in the Middle East and have had my eyes opened to the lies and misconceptions of military service in today's political climate. There are other ways to serve your country.

When all is said and done, getting into your favorite college or university is meaningless if you've been killed in some foreign hell-hole where you've been sent by politicians that would never send their own children or go themselves.