They don't need money while in combat. They get hooked up after they leave. Many of my friends who joined (voluntarily unlike some countries) got a free education afterwards. $100,000 for 3 years work, not bad, only negative is they own your ass for the rest of your life, but noone forced them to join. Plus once you gain seniority, and pursue other careers, employers often pay them more, not to mention governmental and military positions many of them hold afterwards. I'm more upset at the chance of DEATH than their low pay.