In all honesty, it's most likely because of the inherent dangers of being a grunt.

It'd be the same as comparing a drill instructor to a MARSOC operator or a SEAL. No one's going to say that the DI doesn't work his ass off for three straight year, but what will never cross someone's mind is "man, that DI puts his life on the line."

The mission of the Marine rifle squad says it all: "To locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver or to repel the enemy's assault by fire and close combat." Anyone who has actually gone toe to toe with the enemy knows that even when you do everything right, bad shit can still happen to you and your buddies.

While the wing's mission is one of directly supporting the FMF, in reality the majority of the personnel who participate in said mission are maintainers who live and work in relative safety.

Anyone who says wingers don't work hard is ignorant, but very few of you put your lives on the line past raising your right hand and being stationed near combat.

Again, these are incredibly broad conclusions and shouldn't be taken as gospel. Whenever I get together with other disabled/combat wounded vets, the largest group represented is the grunts, closely followed by wingers (typically air crew / chiefs).

Everyone does their part. No one is better than anyone else. Grunts need every ounce of support the wing provides, it's just that most grunts don't understand how everything comes together and is truly centered around the 0311.

Mad respect for the wing, it's an incredibly difficult set of constraints to work within. Just don't confuse the sacrifices of hard work with those who've made the ultimate sacrifice in battle.