BonsaiK said:
If you don't want to get shot at, don't join the Navy. Basically. If other people can't handle that, too bad for them. It's not their decision to make, it's your life.
If you're in one of those crappy countries where they give you no choice, and you really want to wuss out (don't worry, so would I in your shoes), check the rules and see what you can be de-enlisted for. Being openly gay works in some countries. Also being mentally ill can sometimes do it, so you could fake insanity or something. Physical disabilities can also help, just tell them that you can't read the eye charts or something when you do the eye test. Colour-blindless can definitely exclude you from a lot of jobs so you could mess up the colour test too (my brither wanted to go in the airforce but was colour-blind so that was the end of that). I know all of this really isn't very patriotic, I guess you've got to weigh up your desire to serve your country vs your desire to get your limbs potentially blown off.
By his military terminology, I'm pretty sure he's from the U.S., which is an all-volunteer military. As for you, OP, there are plenty of non-combat jobs you could apply for- obviously, you may not get exactly what you want, but if you do enough finagling, you might get into the military and yet still have a pretty good chance of not getting shot. For instance, you could talk to an air-force recruiter about flying unmanned drones, and while this may seem like a long shot, its still better than being forced into a combat position when you do not want it (BTW, be sure to mention that you play video games if you take that suggestion. It may seem minor, but they like that in pilots for remote equipment).
Ultimately, though, you could always end up in a combat position somehow. I have a friend who was sent to guard convoys in Iraq even though he was just a computer technician stationed in Hawaii. If you really feel uncomfortable in joining the military, then don't. It may not be the thing for you, and you needn't listen to the peer pressure of your home town- eventually, you'll probably leave that place and all of those people who called you a wuss behind. And, if in time you still fell the need to join a military-esque service later on in life, you could always join the police, firefighters, coast guard, or national guard. You could also wait until later and then join the military. Just DON'T let yourself feel forced into making any rash decisions. This is your life, and nobody else's.
