Salute!
It ain't the $$$$$.
Most of us would have paid the government to be able to fly those jets.
It's the quality of life that is driving the exodus. It started over 20 years ago when we wouldn't completely leave Iraq. Stoopid "no fly zone" or something. So my local wing had a rotation of Eagles going over there all the time.
And then we had 9/11 and our special ops folks here deployed withing days to find UBL. My neighbor parachuted in and rode with the northern alliance folks on horses!
Then 'raqi II. GASP!! And more in the 'stan and in......
They are not deploying as much the last four or five years, but the damage had been done.
I spent my own long remote tours during the Vietnam era, but it finally ended in 1975 and we went back to basic cold war status and the Viper was coming on line with a line of volunteers a mile long.
I saw the exodus in the 'nam years when we would have to go back every two years or so or get out. Many got out.
Gums opines...