Hadn't heard about the second part of that, though it makes sense.  Last I'd heard from a friend who's TA over there (though not in a UKSF unit, so may have been wrong anyway) was that if you left to go contract, even from the reserve SAS units, you had to get your rucksack ready to go back through selection . . .

Yes the  UKSF(SAS&SBS) were given pay raises, also they could take 6 month active sabbaticals, as they called them, basically go off for a few motnths to work for  a PMC, make their money and come back and slot back into a squadron, no questions asked.

(let's face it, tier one guys are kind of war junkies, they would actually enjoy taking down the terrorists)

Have you ever met any tier one guys? You obviously don't know the job description. Tier 1 guys are extremely patient and extremely well disciplined people. Their career, alot of the time, is spent in a "hurry up and wait" situation, in which some scumbag has hijacked an aircraft and they get ready to go, then higher ups say "wait...let's negotiate a little more"...they are also older and more mature than the young guys who come into the feeder units, because they've been there and done (they just happen to be the most profecient operators in that country). Also, what makes you think they would enjoy taking down terrorists, like they are some kind of scumbag Vietnam war physopaths whom owed down villages? They ain't like that, their only goal is completion of the mission...not killing others. If the mission could be accomplished through negotiations, then that is a much better deal and they understand that. Hollywood may make these guys out to be war junkies, but the truth is the complete opposite. Sure, they may want to get the opportunity to do their job for real, but killing isn't their goal whatsoever.

GOP, I have met a few operators (tier one). And yes, they are patient and disciplined, and they are very good at their jobs. But that does not change the fact that they are war junkies. I don't see how you can be in a tier one unit without being addicted to  combat high (from training or missions). And they do enjoy hunting down terrorists, if they didn't they wouldn't be in those units and they would't be any good at their jobs. Would I say that tier one guys are sort of a breed apart? Yes, but they very much enjoy what they do....On another note, what is this about Vietnam. There are only 2 documented atrocities where US soldiers wiped out villages. GOP, check online and google "Vietnam War Myths". Some of the findings will surprise you. They surprised me. The media would have you believe that most of American soldiers in Vietnam were drug addicted, psycho pathic conscripts who didn't want to be there. In fact, 75 % of all the men and women who served in Nam were volunteers. Anyways check it out, it will dispel some of the myths of the Vietnam war, and after reading it you will respect these soldiers who gave incredible service and came home to be called baby killers a lot more.

The tier one guys I've met all struck me as incredibly normal, friendly people. Granted, I didn't ask them about anything related to the military/politics/my goals, or anything like that, but I absolutely would not classify these people as war junkies. OK, I think the problem here is not what you mean, but the term you used. Sure they are addicted to the combat high/adrenaline rush, as most SOF operators are. But, I don't believe they 'enjoy' taking lives...hunting down terrorists is one thing, but I don't think they enjoy the actual deed of killing them. Many may be extremely hardened to it, I don't know, but I don't think any reasonable person ever enjoys taking life.

The Vietnam thing wasn't meant for the average soldier or SOF guy,  but to the rare physcopath did kill civs. Example,  in the book "Never Fight fair" about SEAL operations, one SEAL unit in Vietnam was sent to a free fire zone to conduct an op against a tax collecter who was stealing money from the villages to fund the VC. Anyway, they spotted  some people walking down the trail toward them, and it became obvious that it was a woman with a child. Well, one of the SEALs wanted to kill them anyway, and had to be ordered not to fire his weapon. That same SEAL killed other civilians before and had a reputation. Anyway, that same SEAL was arrested when his unit got back from Vietnam for raping a woman on the break while he was on his lunch break. There were physchopaths in some units, even the SOF units.

Depends on what you think of as a "junkie"...but in my book someone who keep his cool under stress is just a cool cat professional, not an adrenaline chasing war junkie.