Steve McQueen would never had made in in the military today. Today, if you screw up at enlisted level, they just boot you with a general or dishonorable discharge (if only they did that with high brass shit-heels like General Milley).
That is a shame. Because there is something about allowing young enlisted members the opportunity to correct and redeem themselves. I am not saying the military's primary mission is to act as surrogate fathers to young men, but we sometimes throw away good people too soon. McQueen obviously had talent and intelligence, but squandered it at first. After getting repeatedly busted down and a long trip to the brig, that managed to get Steve's head right.
McQueen ended his military career on a high note. He heroically saved five marines from drowning on a training exercise in the arctic. As a reward he got assigned to President Truman's honor guard for the Presidential yacht. After he was honorably discharged, McQueen credited that discipline to his success as an actor, saying the Marines "made a man out of him."
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