OK, I'm a vet. About half my family is retired military. Been there, done that. I was injured (minor stuff) and found to be NPQ (not physically qualified) to continue flying. Didn't get any benefits other than the usual "thanks for playing our game" stuff. I will say that my siblings who were able to retire from the military got really, really SWEET retirement bennies at a young (relatively) age. Good for them.
Don't care much one way or another about the petition. I know my own family members were fine financially during their service time because, as was pointed out, they didn't have to pay for many of the 'routine' family expenses most folks face. Paychecks can stretch pretty far if you're not paying for housing, meals, insurance, health care, dental care, etc.
If I was picking a group that deserved the biggest tax break it would be teachers. Those folks do more for our country and get less for their efforts than anyone else I've ever met and they are always the first to get screwed whenever cuts 'need' to be made.
