In my opinion, anybody who serves in the RAF (or the Army and Navy) is very lucky that they experience something that most people in a normal life don’t.
Fully agree with this sentiment. It is something I hope I will feel in 2015 when I leave the RAF after 16 years service.
2015 is when it all gets worse:
1. FAFPS coming in (not likely to be better is it?!)
2. Withdrawal from Afghanistan (vice SF?) likely to be complete (now there's no medium scale war on - watch as all pay & allowances etc get cut further).
3. Manpower down to circa 32000 (if there is another conflict - overstretch will be immense.)
I will do Auntie Bettie's bidding for my last 3 years, then happily leave at the age of 38 with 16 years of mainly good memories, a decent pension and start a second life in a (hopefully) recovering economy!