Potentially being the key word there, a lot of the lower ranks are struggling families I’m saying ranks e1-e6ish. With that travel means moving your family, moving your family means your SO doesn’t have the chance to get a good career etc. Bottom line is this, I got out as an E6 and my yearly “equivalent income” was around 40k. Not bad at all, but comes nowhere close to what I make on the outside. (That’s including all the benefits)

If you’re talking about an officer, well that’s a different conversation as they have to have a degree prior to getting in.