Here's the exam question for the nay sayers out there:
What would you do instead?
If a young lad or lady asked your advice - you'd genuinely say "Don't bother mate, go and be a ......". Really?
Where else can one fly, control or maintain (whole ship me!
) military hardware? Why do 'lad mags' regularly contain some form of military fantasy? Answer - because everyone has one but few have the motivation to fulfill them. We are those few, those happy (sometimes not) few. Fortunately we enjoy an all volunteer armed forces. Which is actually the great part about this thread - everyone volunteered no matter whether or not they'd do it again. (Well done us.)
I have always felt incredibly sorry for those, no matter how well off, that go to work simply to pay for their hobbies at the weekend. I go to work because it pretty much is my hobby.
And yes I have worked with knobs, yes I have genuinely wanted to kill some people 'on our side' and yes - I have briefly flirted with plans to leave. But I'd do it all again in a heart beat.