Of course there are drawbacks to military life, I and many others are well aware. Service personnel are by and large treated as they are percieved from the interaction with the local community. Mostly I am pleased to say with due gratitude. Never forget that there is no other "job" where you can retire after 16 or 22 years service with a tax free gratuity 3 times your annual pension and that self same pension is inflation proofed at age 55 and for the rest of your natural life. Add to that the very generous widows pensions (not so generous for those killed on active service) and many tax free allowances (Boarding School Allowance for example) and you have a generous remuneration package. If you dont save for the retirement day why should the taxpayer give more hand outs please?