I think that it is important to feel valued in whatever job you're doing and pay is an element of that reward. I joined the Services with my eyes wide open about the financial remuneration...and could even make an educated guess about what I could have earned had I pursued a career in civvy street. The truth is that you are very well paid in the first few years of service and slowly fall behind your peers after that. Nevertheless you don't have to work to hard for your money (don't confuse spending time at work with actual mental or physical effort). I used my time in the Services to secure my financial future using the resources available to me (cheap accommodation, early finishes on bad weather days, relatively high pay in my early twenties). By my early forties I didn't ever need to work again.
You guys are clever people, what I did wasn't rocket science and there are many more opportunities than there were twenty odd years ago - don't worry about the extra few quid a week you will or won't get from HMG from 1 April next year, go and make it for yourselves! I loved the experiences I had in the military, many of which I couldn't have got elsewhere (!). Everybody wants to be paid more, servicemen love to have a whinge. Moan by all means but don't get bitter, enjoy your time in the mob and remember that your financial future is in your hands!