I think the wrong thing they did in america was to make the military look like it is something for people to expect to simply go thru the motions and get money for colledge instead of being the killing machine it is.
What are you talking about? It's called the the MILITARY, and it's absolutely billed as such. The benefits of service, such as a college education, are in return for MILITARY SERVICE. If it were just a fun romp with excellent benefits it would be called "Summer Camp". What rational person would ever think that it was just a fun way to get your college education paid for and see the world? And if someone were dim enough to think that, a week or two--hell a DAY or two--in training would convince them otherwise. Ask any service person who's been through basic training whether or not they have any illusions about what the purpose of the armed forces is.