No, you're not. You have the wrong teachers and wrong texts. In the contrary to what popular posts say, it takes a long time, years, to be a good programmer. You need to be able to be self-critic, completely change the way you do things. Many times.
Pick a decent open source project in something you find interesting. The harder and lower level, the better. Don't be afraid, there's always somewhere you can start. Join their irc channel and email lists. Help with documentation and test cases. They'll be more than happy to mentor you. And switch projects if you are not moving forward for a while.
Also spend a couple of hours a week on StackOverflow, reading and asking questions. Be polite and do your homework before asking. You'd be surprised how many people are happy to help you for free.
IMHO, most universities suck at making you a competent programmer.
Programming is a lot more about stamina and leaving your ego behind than fads and blogs, or universities. Your military background is a good start. Programming/CS is a lot about self-discipline.
Edit: Open a github account and start coding/forking. This might help you find employment more than experience listed on a CV