Like all members of the military, his life is (to a great extent) not his own. He is a pawn to be trained, retained (or let go) and used as the Crown sees fit
Sorry, I could not disagree with this statement more.
And I speak as someone who with loyalty, professionalism and integrity, served for 27 years.
Aside from the fact that Nuremberg invalidated the statement above, servicemen and woman are required to serve within the expectations of theirs terms of service.
There are dozens of options for early release (including negotiating a PVR) and any of them can be invoked without any suggestion that any individual lacks loyalty, integrity or professionalism.
On a moral note, given the events of the past few years, any servicemen who places misguided blind principle above a the hard-headed reality of looking after oneself and ones' loved ones, is tilting towards being a gullible fool.