if the economy is going well, then it's hard to recruit. if it's in shambles, then people will become more desperate and be willing to go into the military.

the same goes for war time. people will join much more readily in peace time. bumps are seen during the initial portion of the war, but they die down quickly. prior to the crash, the military had to offer ridiculous bonuses to recruits, as well as current members to keep them in. standards declined, etc.

as for benefits, the benefits are the same, regardless of rank. the private gets the same care as the general.

the overall theme here is cost/benefit. the other theme here is that in a free market economy, there has to be some sort of carrot to get people to put their lives on the line. unfortunately, patriotism isn't nearly enough. and while the benefits and such appear to look good, the reality is that when you put it all together, it pales in comparison to what the military member can get in the civilian world. there are some jobs where that is not the case, but the far majority of jobs do not compare.

i also think that you need to look at the numbers. so the academies see competition. great. do you realize how small those schools are? the same goes for the number of people who currently serve. sure, the number goes up once you look at all veterans, but the fact that so many get out should tell you something. it's not all glory and god. in fact, 99% of it is not. come hang out with me for a week. i'll show you the suck that i live in.