Fair question so I will not rant. I appreciate where you are coming from. Family/friend support helps build the broader military family. I am being very delicate so far...
The military is a brilliant career choice for the right people. What we learn in country is simply marking time for life overseas. Deployments are where we in the military truly separate ourselves from the general population. We live to deploy. My last deployment saw me on a plane just 24 hrs after getting a phone call. You need to have a serious " unlimited liability" discussion with friends/family. It is what we signed up for.
What are the chances of being killed?? I will insult many on this forum with comment and I do not wish to offend. So I will say many deploy and few are killed/injured. While this is still a massive stat as one is too many, it is not Vietnam. People die in the military or are injured just as police/fire/construction workers are killed or injured in the line of duty. I am not sure why people think we are more risk prone. We do indeed go into harms way, but we are well trained. Better us trained and expecting a fight than some little kid killed at the Boston Marathon just at the wrong place. I would better my chances as a CF Mbr coming home safe day after day (evens Log guy like me) than being a Toronto cop or firefighter.
Bless you for standing tall. Take strength in a complex support network called the CF. We get you. Those not in uniform will not get it so just accept it. Queen and county is not just a saying - it means something to us. Go overseas as standing tall on foreign soil is what Canada asked is what we do.
Keep the faith. Let us know how you are doing. Cheers,