c17wannabe doesn't fly C-17s, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. Seriously, dude, don't get in the habit of giving too much advice based only on what you've heard. That "better not plan on raising a family" nonsense is just silly. The ease or convenience of raising a family has nothing to do with your airframe. It has everything to do with how supportive, understanding, and how willing to deal with hardship your wife is (and you, really). We can all think of people who have trouble raising a family without being gone at all (military or not), and I know I can think of several folks I've known personally, flying for AFSOC and other jobs who've been gone A LOT and have raised very happy families.