John, were you in the service, or a contracted pilot?'
If you were a contracted pilot, thanks for your service to the war effort in a combat zone. Just remember that there is a difference between your knowledge of your contract before committing and the more open-ended nature of a military commitment. They are not the same (and I'm not sure that's what you are saying, it just seems you are saying they are equivalent when you said "a lot of us have made those sacrifices")