There are always specific cases that lie outside the general arena. As an E-4 leaving the Air Force in 1976 I made about $485 a month. I survived it and was able to parlay those skills into a lucrative career in aviation over the next 36 years. I am a DOD employee that is currently serving in Afghanistan and was in Iraq before that. I do not get bonuses. However I do bring an extensive skill set to the table that justifies my compensation. Most military I encounter over here could never earn in the private sector the pay and benefits the military confers. You don’t have to try and refute this because I know what I speak of. I spent 33 years in private industry and it was amazing how narrow and shallow the skillsets most of our military hires had. Fortunately for them the majority of civilian hires were even more marginal. My main point is that compensation being received by most military occupations exceeds the value of an individuals contributions to the organization by a wide margin. Is a private E-2 with 2 years service really worth $40,000 as a cook or clerk.?
Yeah, I don’t want to turn this into a DOD civ vs military thread. Obviously in your case, you bring a lot of value to the job you do. And most of the GS-11 and above positions I deal with are filled with retired military (and these guys make some money double dipping with fat bonuses on top).
What is lost on a lot of libs is the fact the military makes men/women out of a lot of young people that would not have a future without something like the military. Crime and poverty would be the path for a lot of them. I’d rather spend money getting something out of these folks rather then just hand it to them through entitlement spending (welfare, prison time, etc.).