I agree completely with what you said. It isn't a free ride. I
understand that the Army has given about 30,000 (!!!) 3 and 4 year
scholarships, then did not put the graduates on active duty but sent
them directly to Reserve or National Guard units for mandatory
participation.
The complaints I have heard concerned this - no guaranteed active
duty upon graduation - no guaranteed job, work experience, management
experience, and the like. The Navy and the Air Force aren't as generous
with numbers of scholarships, but they do guarantee you a legitimate job
for 3-5 years after graduation.
In my case, I went with the Navy and am close to finishing my 20
years in the USNR. The Navy has been pretty good to me and I appreciate
some opportunities and experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise, plus
a good education I couldn't have afforded (or would have been
burdened with years of debt).
Kanyotathae