As a retired military vet myself, I say that it is a good deal, in fact, a great deal, for anyone willing to perform a very different kind of job for 20 years. All of my peers had the same choices I had. In most cases I was wished well, and had heartfelt send offs. Many of those send offs, by people who would have done well in the military, but didn’t feel the same calling. They didn’t want to take that risk, but they never thought of me as “less” for making my decsion. For those who mocked my choice (all libs), they win everytime a story like this comes out. 20 year military veterans are a tiny, miniscule, percentage of the population. What I have, I earned.
What little I get (half my late husband’s retiree pay) he earned. It was never a gift. We struggled through years of pay that got us food stamps, although we only tried for them a couple of months. Because we were military, for some reason we had to prove our income and bills every single month. Weird. Who fights the wars, who protects our nation????? The military, that’s who. Even when not in a war, they are on call all the time.
I agree! I retired after 26 years of active duty. They retirement pay is not all that “lavish” and the benefits would be better if I lived near a military installation.
Too many do not understand the beating you take over the period of 20+ years. I believe military retirement pay should be tax free.