My very first 3 hours in an R22 (under supervision) were in very challenging conditions of wind 25 knots gusting to 30-35 knots. My 4th hour on type was in light and variable conditions and I remember thinking what a false sense of security it was because it was incredibly easy to fly.
Later I would solo in similar challenging conditions and after pulling take-off power it felt like the thing was gonna fall apart in flight so I reduced the collective as there was enough wind providing translational lift anyway, albeit it was quite a bumpy take-off. A few years later I would see someone taxying one at Bankstown Airport under similar windy circumstances and doing it very well - it can be done. I believe these operating conditions are now banned for an R22, probably because the fair weather flyers get themselves caught out.
It isn't the mast that's the Robbi's weakness, it's the lack of weight (and possibly the narrow power band from the engine) that makes it unstable when circumstances become demanding.
As for the mil vs civvy argument, it takes courage to sign up your life to the military as there is no buying your way out of a situation you don't like. The mil pilots I know all flew planks before they were given their limited choice of career progression. Although I did think it novel that some AS350 pilots thought the rubber band set up on our "trainers" was silly until I explained to them that it also absorbs the vibrations from a reciprocating engine.