Another comment from and Active Duty guy.
Military pay is not that bad once you get to the E-5 / E-6 level. Don't get me wrong, it could be better. I can say I would easily double my salary were I to fill my exact same position as a civilian, and that's what stings. Again, don't get me wrong. I get up every day, put on my uniform and do the best job I can, but the civilian(s) in my shop aren't forced to move on average every 3 years, they aren't shipped off to some godforsaken desert once a year, they don't have to put up with some twit boss who can pass a test for rank but doesn't have the common sense to poor piss out of a boot with the instructions on the heel, and they are seldom ALLOWED to work over 40 hours a week..let alone forced. That is what chaps my ass, the govt is willing to pay these civilians to do my exact same job 40k or 50k a year and base it on "continuity".
It's true. I live fairly comfortably at my current pay-grade. I love the military life and I will continue to support and defend the Constitution at all costs. It's too late in the game for me to bail now, the light is at the end of the tunnel. 7 years from now I will retire fairly young, with a degree or two, supposedly have some ok retirement benefits, ALOT of experience around the world, and alot of good memories with a retirement paycheck that will (should) cover the cost of a modest home to boot!
Had I been a little smarter in my youth, elected not to believe the roadkill the recruiter's and advertisements spewed forth, had I had someone who had been there and told me about it...I'd have run screaming like a banshee out of the recruiter's office and straight back to college. In a way it's too bad I grew to love the life before my fist hitch was up.
Selflessness, a sense of duty, and love of the life<<<definite prerequisites.
SwampRat
