Marriage is simply impractical for me.  I'm going back to college full-time for three years or more after I separate from the service; I can do that on my own with no difficulties, but if I'm married it would be a financial burden on my partner.  Besides which, I never have enough hours in the day for everything that needs to be done.  I certainly don't have the time that must be dedicated to developing and maintaining that sort of relationship.<br/><br/>Besides, I'm honestly not sure that I view marriage or children as a valid "endgame" for me, anymore.  The unfortunate reality of being in the military--enclosed, shared living spaces, always working in teams at a minimum, a general stigma against "loners" that makes being alone even off-duty difficult--has caused me to treasure solitude to such an extent that the idea of<em>willingly</em>cohabitating with another human being is somewhere close to "chewing off my own leg" on my to-do list.