I love how you can still say you loved your job despite the pervasive toxicity otherwise.
Discussion
My direct supervisors were really, really good at thier jobs, really good leaders, and really good at deflecting most of the BS so the rest of us could GSD. (get "stuff" done) Most of the other leadership in my 5 years of active duty plus some in the national guard was laughable incompetent, dangerously incompetent, maliciously incompetent, maliciously narcissistic, dangerously narcissistic, or just downright scum.
When I talk to other veterans, they think I'm lying about how bad it was, and at this point, I probably am not being as realistic as I should since I try to inject some humor into the telling, or, I'd just end up raving angrily.
But, still, I loved my job. I know I saved people's lives with the work that I did.
It is an honor to hear some of your experience. Thank you for your candor. We can’t move forward on fantasy and fiction.
You can, just not in a direction of peace and honor.
The other way is not forward progress IMHO, but I realize this debatable to those for whom progress is a zero-sum game.