My cousin was, he did a tour in Afgan'. He really enjoyed it, and he got some serious cash from it too. He got paid by Rolls Royce during his tour, army pay, and lived on basic rations. He got back and bought a house, not bad for a 18 yr old. Not sure about the making friends bit though, he's a bit odd.
Not sure I could do it, being the pacifist (wimp) that I am, but all power to those that do.