It’s definitely the lifestyle. Fighters mission set is hands down the sexiest and would be the most fun, but you cannot beat the maritime lifestyle. Every fighter guy that I knew looked like they were getting worked to death whether they were on deployment or back at the beach, yet somehow all that work doesn’t translate to very many flight hours (which you must have to get a commercial gig) which is a very attractive option to have in your back pocket if you reach your 10 year obligation mark and decide you want to go make the big bucks with your skill set.
Its impossible to accurately convey to someone who hasn’t experienced it, but being on the boat sucks. Like MAJORLY sucks. The nature of the fighter platform is you will spend a large amount of your time on the boat for 8+ months at a time. It really wears you down. Those P-8 boys were staying in 5 star hotels in Europe making bonkers per diem the whole time and face timing their families every night while we were out in the gulf sleeping in coffin racks and sweating our nuts off paying $20 for a 45 minute phone card to call home once a week. E-6 is similar but the “deployments” are 90 days max, you don’t even leave the US, stay in the aforementioned Gucci hotels and rack up as many flight hours in a single tour as some fighter guys get in a whole 10 year obligation. I guess it all comes down to what your personal priorities are.
www.cnatra.navy.mil
