SupersonicMax said:
The hourly rate for a reg force LCdr (incentive level 5) is more around $65/hr when you take the monthly salary and divide by the average working days per month. $3K is still a whole lot of money for something that has very little practical return.
Everything the Infantry does is a drill, for a reason: victory in battle. Attacking machine guns (amongst other things) causes casualties, but we must go forward regardless. Good drills build instinctive reactions in the midst of chaos so we are good at fighting together under any stressful circumstance. Fight alone, die alone. Fight together, win together. We learn the basics of that on the parade square, whether we like it or not, and it is an important building block of corporate self-confidence, leadership and performance excellence e.g., :
“In his search to be a great leader, the young centurion sought out the Republic’s veteran warrior. Looking up from his labor, the sage spoke: “I know not what beats beneath your tunic, but what I saw in a leader from foot soldiers to proconsul is thus:
One who makes drill bloodless combat and combat bloody drill…
One who disciplines the offense and not the offenders…
One whose heart is with the Legion and whose loyalty is to the Republic…
One who seeks the companionship of the long march and not the privilege of position…
One whose commission is assigned from above and confirmed from below…
One who knows the self and, therefore, is true to all…
One who seeks to serve and not to be served…
This is the one who leads best of all.”
– LTC Jeffrey Spara in Military Leadership: In Pursuit of Excellence