Golly gee! Cmon guys....do you think this war is any different than the rest in history. The staff pukes will be in the hotels and eating off white linen table clothes ,using siverware and getting gongs for it! But the good news is that in the future...when they begin to tell their war stories and hardship tales you get the satisfaction of reminding them of the truth.
You are participating in a war...not a game of jacks...quit your whining and get on with the job. When you get so exhausted that you are dangerous....go to bed! You will...wherever you are when the old bod runs out of gas.
If commercial helicopter pilots can fly a hundred hours per month under current airlaws then the combat crews can do at least the same. The reason you joined is to serve your country and protect our freedoms...if it is a bit uncomfy then do your best to improve your existence as best you can. I did two combat tours in Vietnam so I know what it is to be exhausted, dirty, and pissed off at the system.
My personal best in Vietnam was 18+55 in one day....146 hours in one month...1100 hours in one year....no air con, no hot water, one hot meal per day , a single one week R&R during the year. We started in tents and built our own hooches from stolen materials. I understand your position but that is what combat is all about....people are depending on you....let them down and they do the dying....you aren't supposed to be comfy....just airborne doing your job as best you can. There's no hotels for the grunts and SOG's....plus they live in a really bad neighborhood!
Hang in there...it won't last forever.
