I don't regret getting out, and have been out now for over 3 years but still turn up now and then as a reservist as I can't go completely cold turkey after 20 years in the military. Oh yes, I have also tried getting back in between jobs, but I'm told the RAAF is full of pilots...
The big thing that made me leave was I just got sick of the
big stick little carrot deal that is endemic in the military. No where was this more prevalent then the half day briefings we had to endure just cause you were going to go to a different base for a few weeks; where every brief could be paraphrased as 'ok boys and girls, work hard and have a good time, but if you have too good a time, here is the stick...whack whack'.
I guess when you are pushing 40 you start resenting being treated like an adolescent who is going away on a school camp for the first time.
It all made sense to me when I read
The Psychology of Military Incompetence, where the author outlines a convincing argument that the military works to retard its workforce at an adolescent level, as lets be frank, how else would you have a workforce prepared to risk life and limb if they had matured along with the rest of the working population.
Along this theme, I was always amazed to see grown men, having completed their 20 years, trembling like babies at the prospect of having to compete in the big scary civilian world, which all of us know who after having left the military is not so scary when you see the calibre of your average co-worker - not too intimidating. But you see, the military is also very good at convincing you that you are pretty worthless, so you'd better not leave etc.
Anyway, not wanting to bag the military, I did 20 years and i would do it all again. There are things out of the RAAF you miss, the high standards, esprit de corp, serviceable aircraft when they are on line, unequalled safety standards and systems, and as someone else has alluded to here, good man management (the concept of management seems to be almost non-existent in the commercial world).
Finally, I have realised that military flying is a young mans game, so at some point an old bastard like me will become dissatisfied and leave, which is again a natural part of the system at work.
