Loving this thread, 
No input from any pOngos or golden rivet hunters yet though 
Seeing as you insist Chuff! Cant really tell you much about the RAF mate, not in it!
As far as the Armed forces are concerned though, my oppinion is the same as most others on here.
I've been in the Navy for near on 13 years, and I cant wait to leave TBH. I will be leaving with the benefit of a medical pension though, so every cloud and all that! By the sounds of it, none of the tri-service is what it once was. You can count yourself lucky with initial pay through training as well! I worked in a rag factory for 4 months after leaving school, and before joing the Navy. I was taking home 105 quid a week. Pittance I hear you say! Not compared to being a junior (under 17 1/2) throughout training. Initial training was 8 weeks, seamanship was another 4, proffessional training was 21 weeks for my trade, and then SPO (ships protection organisation) BSSC (basic sea servival course), and NBC training was another 4 weeks. For those non-mathematicians out there, thats 37 weeks, then with leave inbetween, worked out at almost a year before joining my first ship. During that time, I was taking home between 228, and 260 quid - A MONTH! And 13 years isnt really that long ago as to the avarage wage, cost of living etc. I'm not that old!!!
Anyway, rant over.
As far as I've seen, life is no longer a barrell of laughs and beer because a combination of modern lifestyle, (the youth of today) underfunding throughout the services, and paralelled with that is the knob jockies which make our higherarchy nowadays. Youngsters now would rather sit in the mess playing xbox or games on their phone, and occasionally go to the gym. Not that the gym is a bad thing, but it used to be that if you were'nt duty, you were on the piss. Nobody gets on it anymore. All this on the seldom occassions when a vastly diminished Navy is alongside. More often than not, we are at sea. Whether this be in the south coast exercise areas, preparing to deploy, or actually on deployment. Again because of budget cuts, the vast majority of deployments are operational ones, to the middle east. Very few jolly's anymore, and once again very few stops as ports are now charging too much for a bit of down time. Only stops nowadays are official visits, with a guard of honour, ceremonial sh!te, and cock and arse parties for the wardroom. Higherarchy are jobs worths because they are miserable, but in positions of power. Therefore they take it out on the ratings, making our already miserable existence even worse.
As I'm waiting for my discharge, I am working for waterfront support, fleet maintenance. I basically go onto ships when they request, and help diagnose and fix systems that they require help with/cant do. Because there are very few ships anymore, and even less alongside, I finish at 12 most days! That coupled for working for a warrant officer who I have known for 11 years, and have worked for before, means I have it proper easy now. As mentioned though, gone are the regular drafts like this as the positions are now filled by 'civvies' on 12k a year, rather than the 33k basic they pay me, and I'm still only a Leading Hand (corporal for the other service types). Pay really is the only incentive nowadays. If you have a family, stay well clear as I can almost guarantee, it will end in tears. Young dumb, and full of cum, you get to do feck all as the ones that work hard will have to work more to make up for your lack of effort, so you will get left well alone, and drip when you get jobbed off as you are being 'picked on' ffs!!! sh!t but true. Have a great day!
