PP,
"Fluffy backside" vs "Chaos of reality"? My reality is op tours and more op tours. With some exercises in between. The Germany of today is not the Germany you seem to recall. I have spent far more time away during this tour than I have before. The 3 armoured brigades seem to be taking their fair share of the operational commitments in the desert. Fluffy? - I wish. All the things you complain about exist to varying degrees here, just as they exist to varying degrees across the whole of Defence. However, my point was that life as a civvy is not a bed of roses (with respect to JesstheDog's view) - different cr@p, same quanitities. Only without a uniform.
For my money, the media are significantly responsible for the public perception of the military, although it is interesting to note that the actual view the public hold of us is far better than you might expect from recent headlines. See the recent Army Presentation Team roadshow reports for more - very reassuring.
Harder work these days? Probably. Fewer opportunities for fun? Maybe. As bad as you say? Definitely not.