However, he was not "certified" as a mechanic. He was NOT given training or anything else that he was able to take with him.
The reason I mentioned it at all is that there were people here who feel that the army has changed its demogrpahics, and that the poor and uneducated do NOT make up its ranks. I disagree, and shared a personal experience that I felt supported my beliefs.
Experience? Mechanical training? Discipline? I suppose those are skills that he can't "take with him."
And as far as the demographics go - I don't think anyone said that the army doesn't have poor or uneducated people in it. But I think you're overstating your nephew's case and understating the benefits of a tenure in the armed services, purposefully or not.
