“Take the example of an average officer.He has a bachelors degree, and, if he’s anything past a captain, which, if he’s retired, he certainly is so, he has a masters. Rare exception not to.
He’s made, on average, an enormously less amount of salary than his civilian counterpart, for instance a pilot or a doctor, and certainly much less so for his education.”
According to militarypaychart.us, a lieutenant colonel makes $100,000 a year. I don’t know what you think civilians make, but I don’t think that is “enormously less.”
Hes not an Ltc for twenty years
That’s after 20 or so years. Leading up to Ltc, he’s making 60 to 70g An Ltc gets kicked out at age 45 or so, then hhis salary goes to 40 g overnight.
If you don’t look at comparing, compare a superior best trained in the world pilot flying for delta after five or ten years
Then compare an Ltc to a 20 year guy not looking at getting put on a pension, having to look for employment equal to what he’s capable of, competing with guys who’ve been doing the same but are already in the job
Then look at what he does. Most are not just flying. They’re teaching, competing, going on long deployments, briefing superiors, managing a squadron, with superior competence, and have masters degrees.
Then he has to move himself and his family and look for a job. That costs a ton of money.
The finance office estimated five years ago that it costs $20 thousand per move and that’s WITH moving company paid for
That’s what I mean