Militaries are good things for a lot of reasons. Like A-A-Ron said, they're humanitarian tools.

In addition, they're good places for people to end up in. Where else in America can you start again, get out of the ghetto, and be treated the same if you're white, black, gay, straight, male, female, rich, or poor? The military is, in the long run, focused on the precision application of violence. But there's so much more to that that nobody ever thinks of: you need so much to run a military. You need clerks, acquisition guys, finance guys, doctors, police, fire departments. And militaries generally teach you these things for free, and give you an opportunity to get those job skills.

At least the US Military will pay for your education, healthcare, dentistry, housing, and utilities. Then they'll give you the steadiest paycheck you'll ever have, since you generally aren't worrying about downsizing. You leave when your contract is up or decide to reenlist and give four more years of your life.

They're not evil constructs of war crimes, they're probably the best thing to happen to someone in this economy. It's more than fighting, it's a good shaping force on people. They need to be kept.