Military service isn't productive. It's a cost. That doesn't mean it isn't necessary.
But some of these numbers I'm seeing now concerning a career in the military remind me of the numbers I've seen for other government jobs. And they all cry about how poor they are and how little government work pays. It's all BS now. It may have been true 30 years ago, but not now.
There are many ways to serve the country -- growing food, mining coal, developing new technology. They all contribute to the strength of a nation.
If military pay is going to reach parity with these other jobs, then there's nothing more special about military service (or any other government service) than is special about other forms of work.
I agree that serving is a choice but if you think Service members are overpaid that tells me you never served or served in some cush location and not for 20 years.
None of which call upon the doer to deploy, endure the separation from the family, or to have somebody actively trying to kill you. That some folks do that kind of work is laudable. It is productive, it provides security, it frees the others to do other work. It isn't like most gov't jobs. It is the only gov't service where the promises made can be reneged upon at the convenience of the people provided the service of security.
If military pay is going to reach parity with these other jobs, then there's nothing more special about military service
There isn't any parity with other jobs, because there is little other work that has the same claims on one's life.