Well, from another perspective....
We all know flying rocked. Serving our nation with great guys and gals was a blessing. But...
I got sick of moving every 3 years...I'm a farm kid at heart and wanted to settle down somewhere eventually...
I got tired of being a FIGHTER PILOT, and nothing else. I used to kayak, ride horses, SCUBA dive, sail, hunt, fish, fly GA, play the drums, etc etc. For over 12 years I flew fighters on active duty with its upgrades, SOF tours, OPRs, flight commander duties, and resulting loooong work days--then slept in catching up on Saturdays (when I wasn't deployed). Now I'm rediscovering some of the other parts of "me" that had to be put on a back shelf.
I got tired of constantly being worried about the next assignment, OPR, bad deal TDY, etc etc.
So--I don't go to the bar after a great mission with my airline cohorts, but then again--I've learnd some fascinating stuff from some of them too. Guy I know at FedEx built an awesome house out of concrete. Another gal owns a horse ranch (a lot nicer than mine!). I could go on and on--point is I've learned a lot from some folks with pure civilian background and had a great time learning from them too.
I never went to the airlines to get excited about the flying--but I still enjoy the challenges of flying a smooth, safe flight with a nice touchdown at the end. What I LOVE about my airline job are some things I never had in the military, like:
Days off. I get them. I don't have to ask anyone--just drop, move, or trade trips or bid around the days you want. You don't get that day 1 as a new hire, but it comes...and its awesome. No leave requests--and no dumping work on your bros when take some time off for yourself.
Travel. I don't have pass rights like the legacy/pax guys, but I think thats a great perk. The jumpseat, however, has been very nice and a real magic carpet.
Community. I'm in one now! I'm a church committee member, a regular supporter of some local events, and a local business owner. When I was on active duty, I was an F-15 IP, and it was GREAT. The ANG let me spread my wings in other areas, though, and now that my flying days are done I'm still involved and doing some things besides flying fighters that I am proud of and enjoy. I get to be a bit more multi-dimensional.
Money. I get more now. Granted, I got hired by a great company, and I have an entreprenurial spirit and have done some things besides my airline job along the way. I wasn't poor as an active duty major, but these days I have some things I used to dream about--a horse farm and a plane to share with my family. No disrespect to the active duty retirees out there--many have done VERY well and could buy and sell me--but the fact is my income now is a lot better than it was active duty, and as a result I get to do some things I used to dream of doing with my kids.
So--forgive me on this--when I go to work I ain't lookin' for the adventure, comraderie, or excitement I used to get flying F-15s. I go to work to take care of a family and chase some new dreams. And--no kidding--I thank God every day I got a job that has so much flexibility and so many perks that I can carve out a pretty neat life. We all have to step back sometime, but my back told me I was done at 20 and would get no more. That's fine--I think really it was a message for me to spend more time with family and less at the base.
All this means I don't pine for a military captain or another fighter bro as S/O when I go on a trip--I don't care. I'm so darn glad to be here I'm gonna have a great time with anyone who wants to come along. Flying for a living has some drawbacks, but I cannot think of a single job (okay--maybe a porn star or rock musician) where you can have so much fun if you do it right.