[Stingray51]

That's not true at all. The US is about as egalitarian as it can get and still preserve any degree of efficiency. My guess is that the officers were stuck on site just like the troops. That is not a class system. Yes, the military does require a rank structure and a chain of command. You are not suggesting the troops should have a union like the Dutch Army does, are you?

[cynicom]

51....

As a "passenger" in SAC, it was always interesting, at the end of a flight, to check the manifest, to see who all had been on the flight with us. The desk jockeys dreaded those 16 hour jobs, so they would get someone to fudge their names in on the manifest. Four hours a month was needed for flight pay, in one day they were all caught up.

This was happening all the time, until one gentleman crossed the wrong enlisted "passenger". Being an officer and a gentleman, he was docked 1200 bucks and given a written reprimand. Now, it does give leave for one to wonder what the consequences would have been for an enlisted person.