Yodasplat Posted March 24, 2003 Share Posted March 24, 2003 I know that this has been brought up many times before ... but I never had a comprehensive set of figures about a US soldier's pay. here it is. This guys are paid like crap to risk their life. That's the bottom line of this article. Their service IMO cannot be really rewarded with the abismal paycheck they get. I know of people that earn 5 times as much as a colonel and don't deserve the pay of a private, for what they are worth. Somehow I got the impression that in war conditions they would get paid A LOT MORE (hazard pay, please). But nope. Just a meager 150$ extra on the paycheck and Any money earned while working in a combat zone also is tax-free. Yeppeee!! Jee-whiz Uncle Sam! Thanks a bunch! As I said, considering that they are putting their lives at risk to defend their country, the way they are paid is ... appalling IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly2442 Posted March 24, 2003 Share Posted March 24, 2003 And we pay sports players millions of dollars... there's some major flaws here I agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
300Mag Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Yep, It's pretty sad. The figures fluctuate but in an average year 17 to 20 percent of the US Army would be eligeable for food stamps in the civilian world. Neat, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEDUDE Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 its sad the guys do so much and get so little well they all ways have my respect if that really matters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteKnight77 Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Yep, It's pretty sad. The figures fluctuate but in an average year 17 to 20 percent of the US Army would be eligeable for food stamps in the civilian world. Neat, huh? Some are on food stamps as we speak. When I was in the most I made in a year as an E-4 over 4 was $12,000 give or take a few hundred. Now once I got my wings I got flight pay (as long as I flew over 4 hours a month (got that in a day and I tried to fly every day) and BAS (basic allowance for sustanence or food) cuz I flew weird hours and would miss the chow hall sometimes. Living in the barracks is rent free, but some barracks are really nice nowadays and are like living in a decent motel with at least one other guy. Some NCO's got their own room. Pay still sucks for most enlisted personell tho even today compared to what a civilian counterpart would earn, but it really isn't enough if they are married and with kids even if there is base housing available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocity Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 And we pay sports players millions of dollars... there's some major flaws here I agree. Thats excately what i was thinking. Take British football for example. We pay millions a year for our Beckhams and Shearer's just so they can go kick a ball round a field. But when it comes to guys who work nearly 24/7 to become as good a soldier as possible for their country, and goes to war for his/her country and could possibly get killed, we pay a meesly little wod of cash. IMO its pathetic and distusting that our soldiers out there in Iraq now, risking their lives, will come home (if they make it that is - the risking the life bit again) and get paid pretty much nothing for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtheHammer Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 My mother forwarded this to me. Sorry about the lenght This Airman's response to the Washington Times should be printed in all newspapers across America. Especially now when the President is calling up more Reserves and National Guardsmen. Get this response out to everyone you know. It's time this country wise up and support the troops that defend them. Military pay article On 12 Nov, Ms Cindy Williams (from Laverne and Shirley TV show) wrote a piece for the Washington Times, denouncing the pay raise(s) coming service members' way this year -- citing that the stated 13% wage was more than they deserve. A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article below. He ought to get a bonus for this! "Ms Williams: I just had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our GIs earn Enough" and I am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where this vaunted overpayment is going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears every month between DFAS (The Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and my bank account. Checking my latest earnings statement I see that I make $1,117.80 before taxes. After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through the calculator, I come up with an annual salary of $13,413.60 before taxes, and $10,490.40 after. I work in the Air Force Network Control Center where I am part of the team responsible for a 5,000-host computer network. I am involved with infrastructure segments, specifically with Cisco Systems equipment. A quick check under jobs for Network Technicians in the Washington, D.C. area reveals a position in my career field, requiring three years experience with my job. Amazingly, this job does NOT pay $13,413.60 a year. No, this job is being offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum. I'm sure you can draw the obvious conclusions. Given the tenor of your column, I would assume that you have NEVER had the pleasure of serving your country in her armed forces. Before you take it upon yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership for attempting to get the families in the military's lowest pay brackets off of WIC, and food stamps, I suggest that you join a group of deploying soldiers headed for AFGHANISTAN, I leave the choice of service branch up to you. Whatever choice you make, though, opt for the SIX month rotation: it will guarantee you the longest possible time away from your family and friends, thus giving you full "deployment experience." As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure to note the spouses and children who are saying good-bye to their loved ones. Also take care to note that several families are still unsure of how they'll be able to make ends meet while the primary breadwinner is gone -- obviously they've been squandering the "vast" piles of cash the government has been giving them. Try to deploy over a major holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are perennial favorites. And when you're actually over there, sitting in a foxhole, shivering against the cold desert night; and the flight sergeant tells you that there aren't enough people on shift to relieve you for chow, remember this: trade whatever MRE (meal-ready-to-eat) you manage to get for the tuna noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything. This gives some flavor. Talk to your loved ones as often as you are permitted; it won't nearly be long enough or often enough, but take what you can get and be thankful for it. You may have picked up on the fact that I disagree with most of the points you present in your op-ed piece. But, tomorrow from KABUL, I will defend to the death your right to say it. You see, I am an American fighting man, a guarantor of your First Amendment rights and every other right you cherish. On a daily basis, my brother and sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people like you can thumb your collective nose at us, all on a salary that is nothing short of pitiful and under conditions that would make most people cringe. We hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private sector because we can't offer the stability and pay of civilian companies. And you, Ms Williams, have the gall to say that we make more than we deserve? Rubbish! A1C Michael Bragg, Hill AFB AFNCC" IF YOU AGREE, PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AND SHOW OUR SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN FIGHTING MEN AND WOMEN. THANK YOU. THIS LETTER SHOULD BE APPLAUDED BY ANYONE WHO'S EVER SERVED OR HAD A FAMILY MEMBER SERVE IN THE ARMED FORCES! THIS YOUNG MAN DESERVES A MEDAL! GOD BLESS THE U.S.A. The gall of that woman to suggest that they are being paid too much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZJJ Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Below are links to the base pay rate charts for military personnel. enlisted base pay chart Warrent Officer base bay chart Commissioned Officer base pay chart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteKnight77 Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 What a dumb ###### (sorry Rocky.) Of course with her being an entertainer, we know how they think. It is obvious she knows not what she speaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XavierOnasis Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 (edited) Military pay article On 12 Nov, Ms Cindy Williams (from Laverne and Shirley TV show) wrote a piece for the Washington Times, denouncing the pay raise(s) coming service members' way this year -- citing that the stated 13% wage was more than they deserve. *Jeopardy-buzzer sound* Try again. http://www.snopes.com/military/gipay.htm Quirk of fate had me on the Snopes Military Legend page as you posed this Edited March 25, 2003 by XavierOnasis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Wow, nice find XO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamakazi Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 18032 Okay A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez who plays for the Texas Rangers in the MLB (Major League Baseball) for GR's international following) makes 22 million a year A corporal in the US Army makes 18,032 a year Unless I am much mistaken a Corporal makes .08% as much as A-Rod (could be wrong but pretty close) Any body else see anything wrong here (NOTE does not take into account taxes of any kind) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtheHammer Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 @XavierOnasis: Thanks for clarifying things. I was not aware of that and was only relating things as they had been told to me. Regardless of who wrote the original editorial (and I now feel sorry for the woman wrongly associated with this horrendous piece of writing), I find the notion that the military is paid too much absolutely. In a way military pay is a reflection on how much some people truly value their freedoms. For those that have no problem with how much they are paid it is truly sad. For those willing to remain in the military despite the deplorable pay it is something that demonstrates a level of commitment few people will ever know or appreciate. God bless them and their families for that commitment. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blame Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I was just looking throught these nearly a decade old comments and I hit up on this, everything about US Soldiers payment is actually real? Comparing it with Estonian Soldiers payment is a lot higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pz3 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 (edited) Then they get out and can either goto school or get crap for jobs. I got off active duty and became a cop. I made more as an E4 in the military. No kidding! Now going to school for Jet engine maintenance. 100K a year working on planes sounds a little better to me. Although Re-Enlistment is harder now. I still think about it. 18X (SF Selection) is my only Re-Enlistment option though. According to multiple sources. Tempting. The stress will be ridiculous but a lot of my buddies who have gone to the groups say I would fit in quiet well. That is what really bothers me the most. What I'm missing out on. My income was roughly this.... LEO = 1900$ per month E4 CPL = 2200$ per month E4 With dependents was over 3000 a month. Part time minimum wage job + GI Bill = 2300 a month Edited September 15, 2012 by pz3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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