Scroggs, I take issue with your statement that most post 9/11 redundees came back. I know of only a couple who returned. In my airline, there are seven of us and as four already have their wide body commands with our new employers with the rest to follow soon, it's unlikely they will! And I can think of at least another dozen or more who went to other airlines who won't be coming back.
Quite a few of us (self included) took the voluntary redundancy option when we realised just how long it would take to get a command in Virgin.