Dodging a military situationship?

Last month I ended up in the same city as a old college friend, who’d kept up with me after graduation. I’d travelled through South America while he’d commissioned for the marines and he’s since been based on the east coast. When I got back home we made plans to catch up over a weekend I was meant to visit DC anyway. Long story short we met up for dinner and drinks, and one thing kinda led to another and we ended up sleeping together. That night he asked me if I’d go see him in Japan, where he’ll be based for two years next year. I asked him how that would even work logistically and laughed with him. The next day we did brunch and some sightseeing. He was really affectionate the whole day, which kinda threw me off because I have my doubts about long-distance relationships. I never saw him as more than a friend in college and I wanted to protect my feelings.

Before we said bye to each other, he asked me if I wanted to see him again and I hesitated but I said yes. He asked me about potential dates I could go visit him during his leave. But I told him the concept of me visiting him felt like something I'd do if we were in a relationship. He told me he couldn’t promise anything since we’d be starting something long distance because we live 2000+ miles away. So when he asked me to stay the following weekend, I didn’t think it was a good idea, plus I had a job interview lined up. He’d flirt with me over text after I went back to California, and kept saying he missed me and wanted to see me.

We texted for a few weeks until I finally caved and I asked him if we could talk about what we were doing because I felt confused. He replied a week later:

I deleted his contact because it really hurt not hearing from him. I don’t know anything about the marines, and I know he must be busy but every other time he’d text me back in a day or so. Am I right to ghost him? I don’t know what’d I even say, like “Even though I felt like you were pushing so hard for all the things relationships involve, let’s do friendship?” There’s no nice way for me to say that? And maybe if he really liked me he would be willing to try even with the added military relationship complications?