Dude. I’m set to retire before I’m 50, and I’m 43, also a veteran. I’m retiring in San Diego, the most unliveable city in the US. Paying taxes is the second most patriotic thing that a citizen can do. The fact that you view them as theft is a you problem. They are the dues that you owe society for treating you so well.
The four most patriotic things one can do are as follows in this order:
Vote.
Pay your damn taxes.
Serve in local office, and maybe higher.
Serve in the military.
The reason that the military is so low is that most people aren’t a good fit for the military. We need thinking soldiers that will refuse an unlawful order, not mindless automatons that parrot every hateful lie they can.