TSM / Redcarpet,
I'm with you here. Flying into and out of or continually operating in any theatre is largely irrelevant to the question.
The FACT is, she is a Commissioned Officer in the Armed Forces and should know to carefully choose her words in front of self opinionated journalists looking for a good story. She should set the standard for those (by affording them enough respect to not belittle their jobs) around her who have to LIVE for months in the very accommodation she shares and at least have the grace to understand that her discomfort will be over when she gets back to her king size bed in the next 24 hrs.
Would she have the same 'oh well, he/she's a great guy' attitude as some of you here if one of her subordinates had uttered the same things to the press. Maybe she would, but I'll bet she'd have to discipline them nonetheless.
I'm sure she's a great pilot, wonderful young woman and this was just a case of catching her off guard. This is why I think the single biggest failure is that of the PRO/CRO/CCO (whatever acronym works) and her chain of command.
And that fact does not surprise me in the least.