I rarely mention my military enlistment period, though. If asked, I will say that I was in the USAF. Totally a non-combat role. When someone thanks me for my service, I just say, "Thank you, but it was either that or be drafted."
That four-year period was spent learning many things. I was 23 years old when my enlistment ended. I returned to college, got my degree, and went on with the rest of my life. There were parts of that time that were rewarding and other parts that were stupid beyond comprehension. It was what I did for four years.
I got an expert marksman ribbon in basic training on an M-16, and that was the last time I saw one. I got sent to a total-immersion Russian language class for 9 months at Syracuse University and spent a year and a half in Turkey, a country I might never have visited. I learned a lot in both places. The end of my enlistment was spent sitting at a desk in the NSA building at Ft. Meade, MD, where I learned a great deal that disturbed me.
I left the USAF and resumed my real life. Four years. If someone wants to thank me for that, they're welcome to, but, as the saying goes, "It don't mean shit." It was just another episode of a life full of episodes. 
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