Are American Soldiers Paid Too Much?

Nuristan province, Jan. 21, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment. After seven hours of searching through rugged terrain, U.S. and Afghan soldiers located an improvised explosive device along Route Iowa, based on a tip. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson

Defense Spending Sacrosanct? -- Mark Thompson, Time Magazine

With the nation in two wars and faced with implacable Islamist foes, some argue that now is not the time to discuss cutting the defense budget. House Republican leaders barred spending cuts for the military, homeland security and veterans in their party's "Pledge to America" campaign manifesto last fall. Last week, 165 members of the House's 242-member Republican caucus unveiled their "spending reduction act" that places a Maginot Line around the roughly trillion dollars a year that the nation spends on the military and its various offshoots (VA, homeland security, &c.).

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My Comment: Yes .... the pay and benefits are better for soldiers than for those in the civilian sector. But the risks and dangers coupled with the sacrifice in family life .... for me the pay and benefits would never be enough.