I'm not attempting to defend this guy's intelligence or decisions, I'm merely pointing out that I find the military's advertising misleading. You don't go out and buy a Coke just because you saw an ad with polar bears either, the effect of advertising is much more subtle. Personally, I can see someone depressed and looking for direction in his life being influenced (misled?) by military recruiters and an image promoted by advertising into making an impulsive decision to join the military. The ads specifically seem to target people with these weaknesses.

Anyway, here is an article perhaps a little more sympathetic towards this guy: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...0322EST0007.DTL