I have been asked the question, "what is it like being in the army?" The best response I have come up with is, "Go ahead and find out." Essentially watching a movie about the military or listening to a veteran tell you about their experience is very different than experiencing it yourself. But I did come across an explanation that really hits the nail on the head. Take with a grain of salt:

[i]Oh, I'm glad you asked. Imagine being told your group of people have to eat a large pot of chicken broth in an hour. Too easy, right? And everyone is handed a knife, spoon, and fork. And it's just chicken broth. So your First Sergeant is so excited he grabs the fork and starts eating. Then tells everyone else to do the same. But you, only being a Private, but having had experience eating broth before are like, "hey, we should use the spoons," but everyone else is like, "well First Sergeant said use the fork." "But the spoon makes more sense. Like that's exactly what it was made for." And everyone continues to use the fork. And when it's not working fast enough, someone suggest you use a mallet. And you just look at the group, then at the spoon, then back at the group, the spoon, then you cry as you count down the days until your contract ends.[/i]

That is the Army.