Families have to tolerate a huge amount supporting us in our jobs. For me it came as a big shock to my system when, after 34 years of marriage and loyal camp-following, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed turned round after yet another long det [average 30+weeks away per annum] and asked when we were going to get a life.
She married into the Forces [she, herself, left on marriage] and we had a fantastic time, accepting all that went with it. However, over the years there has been a steady erosion of all that compensated for the bad. I am not necessarily talking about basic pay; continued cutting of services, allowances, concessions, manpower et al has taken the shine out of being part of a military elite [as I viewed the British Military measured against the rest of the world].
Now the Britmil is just another job, and continued additional demands are made of us without the tools or compensation that keeps this thing called morale going. Yes, there is still the adrenilin rush of the fighting ops, but that rush is now being dulled by continued sniping by the fluffy huggy PC brigade and the distinct lack of guts displayed by those at high level who should be telling our President and cronies that enough is enough - either put up or shut up.
Our Servicemen should be pampered [for want of a better word] to some degree on ops; for example, there is no excuse for those on sustained ops to be given facilities so basic that you would be prosecuted in the UK for keeping animals in such conditions. That we get on with it without complaining speaks volumes for the quality of the soldier in the street, and that may be the root of the problem - middle commanders are often more interested in looking after their careers than making a stand and saying 'can't be done without...'
I know, I have the same battles now that I am outside, working in a Government funded environment, where ministerial decrees are invariably made without thought, consultation with the commanders in the field and without increased manpower and funding in the right places to make it work without it causing grief to those at the sharp end.
But I am afraid I don't know what the answer is; there has got to be a root change in attitudes, and acceptance that the Armed Forces must be treated as a special case and not subjected to normal business practices, etc. Control of the Forces must be taken out of the hands of the accountants - they should be very subserviant to the sharp end. The support that has been destroyed over the years must be re-instated - learn how the Americans treat their Servicemen would be a start. And so on.