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I love that we take time to celebrate our military children. As I watch my son grow up and recognize that daddy wears combat boots and a uniform, I think of the future talks we might have, the questions he might ask or how he might feel about our military lifestyle. I already feel like…
Grab This HH6 Graphic! World War II Poster Collection from the Northwestern University Library |
Tag Archives: Military LifeDear America’s Civilians and Mr. Wood, Since this whole open letter thing seems to be the way to communicate nowadays on social media, I thought I would give it a try. I feel compelled to write to you because of an article that came to my attention this morning from Mr. Wood for the Huffington… OMG! I seriously thought I was the ONLY person who had shelving come crashing down due to missing hardware! And it happened at 2:00 a.m.!!!! That is crazy Melissa!! I almost died that evening – never been so scared, wow! lol Thanks! Amen, and amen. Well said! Wonderful! You said everything I would have said and more! Proud Air Force wife if a MSGT with 22 years of services!! Great job, Janet! A great letter. Wonderful, thank you, you said everything I wanted to and more! I’m a military spouse and have to respectfully disagree. My husband is an E-6 also, with only 8 years in, and when you count BAS, BAH, special pay, etc he makes about $73K a year. For a job that requires no degree. To me that’s pretty damn good. $20 a month for health insurance, income-based childcare, adoption assistance (which we’re about to take advantage of) and don’t forget the incredibly cheap prices at the commissary. What other company out there offers anything close to comparison? It was my interpretation of the article that the military “lavishly” spent their funds on programs for military families while forgetting about supplying soldiers on the front line with much needed equipment. Now things like TA have to be cut to make up for that. To me it’s a fair trade, even though it means my husband will no longer be able to take advantage of it. Everyone is having to tighten their belts, not just the military. Took the words right out of my mouth! Thank you for writing this. wow, so well written. THank you for putting my thoughts and feelings down for everyone to read. I could not have stated this as with a level head right now. I am very upset over this article. well said! Amen! Nice, concise, factual and much more polite than his article deserved. Great write! I’d add the fact that when deployed and even every day. Many military members are required to work as many hours as the mission needs and that deployment pay is a fraction of the overtime would pay in the commercial world! Also I’ve heard others complain about how military bases are supplied with a gym and my comments to the civilian side is this “when you are required to stay fit to keep your job come talk to me then! God bless all service members and their families for what they give. At least we are rich in principals and values! There are just a few comments I would make regarding this information. 1. Combat Pay, even when deployed in Afghanistan, unless you take fire on a specific day you no longer receive hazardous duty pay. 2. BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence) – you lose this pay when the military member is deployed as they provide 3 meals a day via the chow halls. However, many times due to the hours our military members work, they are unable to eat at the chow halls and are stuck purchasing out of pocket MRE’s or going to the local PX or mini Commissary to purchase non perishable food out of pocket. So even though you lose BAS you’re still paying for the military spouses food many times. 3. Separation pay – Separation pay is over $100 less than BAS and doesn’t make up for the difference in pay. Added up, most times when military members deploy, due to pay cuts families actually take a pay cut during deployments of anywhere from $100 – $200 per month totaling anywhere from $1200 – 2400 per year depending on the length of deployment. 4. Uniform Pay – Uniform pay depends on how many years you have in service. Say you are paid $500 (which is actually high) for annual uniform allowance. Typically we find it necessarily to purchase 3 pairs of boots per year which at a minimum cost approximately $200 – $300 per pair at a cost of $600 – $900 per year. Then you add in 2 – 4 pairs of uniforms (typically 2 greens and 2 deserts) that cost over $100 – $150 a pair at a cost of $400 – $600 per year. Totaled together that is a uniform total per year of $1000 – $1500 per year. That means if you are paid $500 you are still paying anywhere from $500 – $1000 out of pocket for uniforms per year. 5. Deployment Gear – there is typically anywhere from $500 – $1500 worth of gear that the military can’t afford to issue or doesn’t have but requires for a deployment that our military men and women are required to go purchase for each deployment. I wholeheartedly agree with this blog post. I was horrified to read the news story. The writer obviously had no idea the “actual” pay and benefits provided or not provided to military families. Unfortunately this concerns me as I’m sure he isn’t the only one and my concern is that if pay and benefits continue to be cut for military families that many of these families will be unable to make ends meet. It is also worth noting that the numbers with regards to separations, divorce and domestic violence are higher in the military due to trauma, PTSD, RAD etc than the average numbers for the US when they are compared. Many times the numbers for the military can be as much as 2 times higher than the numbers for the US. Thank you for your excellent rebuttal to one if the most far fetched and ludicrous articles ever. i’m the child of a retired vet and this is definitely how it feels to be a part of a military family. my father retired out as an e6 as well and didnt make nearly the figures stated by a commenter above me. we struggled with debt quite often. my dad also suffered at the hands of the govt when they made cuts to our forces (late 90s?) and left my family in a worse bind for two years until he was able to rejoin. in that time they accumulated thousands of dollars in medical debt due to my sisters health problems. when we finally were back under tricare coverage and i needed my insurance as a teenager, it was no surprise when i had to fight to get proper treatment or an appointment within the next months time. when i did go in for appointments, i rarely got any useful outcomes. infact, the doctors there ended up completely missing my hypothyroidism. finally, on my 21st birthday, i got a farewell letter from tricare. my dad also had to fight to get 90% disability after the army only gave him 70% despite him having a slew of health problems (most due to multiple deployments spanning over his career)….i really could go on and on. thank you for writing this. you have been the voice for military families everywhere. I did not have shelving crash down thank god but that new housing goes up in a flash like ive always said …. our stairs were like going through a funhouse , our light switches crackled and sparked , maintenance takes forever to come or doesnt show up at all …. (then have the nerve to call and say you weren’t home ) Oh and water pours through the back doors and i got the jolt of my life while standing in my kitchen …. moving off post was the best thing we ever did,Oh and to be paying for the neighbors electricity usage bc the boxes are all fused together . Yeap it was not a good thing for us to be on post. The straw that broke the camels back was the mps threatening to take away our puppy bc a child opened my gate in my backyard went in and he got scratched and the mps saying that it was freedom land for those kids and they could play when and where they want . To us it was trespassing . But yet our dog would of been punished for it huh …. we had to go it was not good for us at all . If you were reading this in church there would be A LOT of Amen’s being said. A lot of people make sacrifices, not just the military. As a teacher, I don’t get nearly the same benefits, my insurance is more, and parks like Disney don’t give teachers greatly discounted tickets. I also have to advance in my career, but my district only pays $200/course/semester. One credit hour if a graduate course is much more than$200. I know of many military families that receive about 2 or 3 thousand in housing allowances, plus graduate school paid for. There are good reasons why the original article was written. I have too much to say to fit in the comment box. But I will say our 24 years in the military were exciting. Each tour was a new adventure. I could write a book about our military experiences. ARMY STRONG HOOAH An E6 with 8 years according to the pay chart, plus BAH, plus BAS makes about $40,000 a year give or take depending on your BAH in your area. Now the special pay ect you speak of I have no clue about because the average soldier in the Army does not have those pays unless they are deployed. My husband who is an E6 with 16 years in does not make what you are claiming your husband makes. Good for you guys for being the ones that live the lavish lifestyle. Most of the military does not. Well Said Janet!! Bravo..my thoughts exactly!!! I have been so angry, and bitter. The only thing that gives me some comfort it so know that I’m not alone. And once again we’re standing united in our frustration with our spouses. Thank you for writing this, I think we should stand outside of the white house and shout this…. you took the words right out of my mouth Christa, is your husband in Special Forces? It also depends on where you live. For example, BAH in Fort Lewis is $400 more than in Fort Campbell. We make a little undee $50,000 a year as an E-6 and airborn qualified. Our commissary prices are not always cheaper you just have to know the prices else where. Plus, the prices at the commissary are still a profit for the company. I don’t see how everyone is effected by this. congress got a pay raise not too long ago and they still made more than half our country. Ms. Singleton, I would like to know how your calculations have equaled E6 no way is there pay 76k with everything added! We are E7 with 20yrs an full sea pay an BHA an what ever else. After deductions we got extra earned income this year. Pretty sad… Best thing I have read in a VERY, VERY long time! Thank you so much for taking the time and having the words to write this! You have stood up for us all and we truly thank you! They are just beginning to “talk” about entitlement cuts now. Not too many people are tightening their belts….the military is taking the heat first. Awesome! Great job! Love how some are posting that we should be happy with what we have because they have less. Remember everyone makes choices for their futures an our are to protect an serve this country. To give up our freedom so you can have yours! To give up an be away from family an NOT to live lavish lives. We do how ever have some of the best friends, an memories ever! i completely agree! tricare is very much a pain. i am pregnant and have yet to be seen when supposed to. the staff are very rude. and pay is not glorious… my husband maybe pulls in 20k a year. we look forward to taxes every year to pay what we couldnt the year before. Thank you for this letter that is exactly how it is. I’m glad I’m not the only one whose gone ‘crazy’ trying to get real medical care for myself or my child. I almost died giving birth to my child & had terrible care during my pregnancy at a post hospital. Thankfully I was transported to a real hospital but afterwards, I faced another procedure &I they made me have it on post. Due to their failures, I can’t have anymore children & the 2other drs were finally fired. People need to know the truth. Thanking for writing what we were all thinking. Mr Woods article was ridiculous. This is a great article! Used to be, that the PX and the commissary were benefits of being in the military. This is no longer the case. Here at Fort Lewis I can find cheaper housing, better food prices, and a safer neighborhood than on post! Even the gas cost $.30 more a gallon on post than off. My husband wasn’t before when he got out, and he was making $25,000 a year Gross. Take out your federal taxes, your Social Security and Medicare, and you’re left with basically nothing. And what is this fallacy about free food? If you’re single soldier living in the barricks, they make you pay for the chow hall! It’s all a racket! Don’t even get me started on the health care! Sitting in the ER for four hours with two sick babies, because they have no after-hours care! This is ridiculous. Now that we are on civilian medical, my kids get 120% better care and coverage than we ever had through the military! Now, for what I consider an emergency, my boys don’t have to wait two months to see a doctor. As for the education benefits, it’s one of the few things left that are any good. For a service man or woman to leave the army and get a decent job, they need further education. Most places will not take the basic training at the army gives infantry soldiers. Congress and the like say they give extra pay, but who sees that extra pay? The contractors, and the army take the payback in one form or another. People who do this job don’t do it for the money. They do it for love of the country. But I’m pretty sure they are getting tired of the disrespect for their and their families sacrifices! Great article, from one military spouse to another, I thank you! Christina what about an E-1 with no skill set who signed up on the promise of education? PROMISE OF EDUCATION. You try to back out of a . Have your E-6 husband just leave. I bet the US government comes and gets him to finish his enlistment or arrest him. Very well written. Thank you! Not to mention sometimes the medical care our soldiers receive is even worse. I can’t count how many times my husband went to his so called doctor and they were looking up symptoms on the computer or in a book for a diagnosis. Thank you so much for this letter!!! i would just like to touch on this whole medical care and treatment deal. i believe that no one and thus nothing is perfect. My exstended family who is not related to the military complains about thier treament and of course i have issues with some of mine. So once again nothing is perfect, there is always going to be issues with any kind of health care. But i tell you one thing….. my hub and i have come from the very bottom of the success pool. Before the army we were living with friends. Honestly I thank God every day for what i have. i think people should spend more time doing that than focusing on the negative. and i do agree that mr wood has some false statments but we are the military. we are supposed to stay strong no matter what comes our way! lets see the positive ppl and stop dwelling on the negative. where is that really going to get us? Bravo! i have to agree bc when i was pregnant with my daughter they’d cancel appointments just bc the attending physician wasnt in . They didnt listen to me when i mentioned pain. They didnt read my record from when i was pregnant with my son (from a civilian hospital) they refused to induce me (even though i didnt want to be ) but my daughter was in the canal for too long and now shes got a hematoma ( bruised skull ) lump on the side of her head the rest of her life , I dont trust these military docs who are only trained !…. We now go to a civilian and Oh dont get me started on housing Pfft we moved off post 2 years ago and it was the best damn decision we ever made . First, I’ll start by saying I am a disabled veteran and my husband is currently active duty. While your article does ring some truth, there is much that is quite over dramatic at best. Deployments and rotations, including the level of danger they are in is directly related to their specific job fields and obviously, some are in more danger than others in certain times. I for one am sick of blind patriots and over embellished spouses pretending that every day of a soldier is filled with the potential for blood drenched chaos and that any opinion doing any amount of questioning or giving another opinion is viewed as ‘un-American’. This country was founded on dissent. Yes, there is work to do. However, if you had a sneak peek of the day to day activity in the motorpool or the endless ‘appointments’ soldiers are on in order to be gone by direction of NCO’s or bullshit details picking up cigarette butts in order look busy for the BDE CSM (Brigade Sergeant Major) you guys would be a-gasp. Certainly there was a time when there was absolute chaos. There is a time now when female service members are 180 times more likely to be sexually assaulted by their fellow service members than to be killed in action (per SWAN-Service Women’s Action Network). As for our insurance, I have never expected to be treated like royalty at an MTF. Their purpose is to treat service members and their dependents for medical issues, not to stroke needy egos. I have seen horrible doctors and ones that I absolutely loved during my 15 years association with 3 branches of the military. This last six months our baby (5 yrs old) has gotten incredibly ill and nearly died four times. This resulted in five hospitalizations and four major surgeries resulting in over $330,000 in medical bills from OU Children’s Hospital. We have not had to pay one cent and never received a bill either. Tricare took care of it. A good friends has a baby that is a $2 million baby and while she’s had to talk to her local office, she has also not had to pay. Our system is overwhelmed and imperfect, but if not for what it is, what insurance would you and many spouses have and if so, look at the average co=pays. For crying out loud, you don’t even need to pay for many OTC medications. The fact is that many of us would not qualify for medicaid and without Tricare, we would have had to ‘give’ up or in to financial strain trying to keep our kids alive and recovering. Improvements can always be made, but I am tired of military spouses who many (certainly not all) would not have any coverage if not for military insurance. As far as the lines, yes I’ve been taken right in and I’ve had to wait, even if patience is not a virtue of mine. When I was a civilian and paying $400.00/mth and 80/20 co-pays, I still had to sit my ass down and be called in order of appointment or triage priority. There is an epidemic of the ‘entitled military spouse’ who seems to think everything is still not enough. I also call bullshit on your spouse’s pay. An E-6 with over 16 years receives $3599.70 per month for base pay. They also receive $352.27 for BAS. BAH (housing) is based on the zip code and is between $800-3,000 extra per month to cover housing allowances. When you say $4,000, you should clarify is that is per month or year. Per month is a stretch and per year is an outright lie. Please, figure up the cost of every OTC medication, every rx fill, every DR appointment and medical treatment as if you had co-pays, put a price on the reduced childcare and various other programs available and add all of the above up. Now, please tell me where someone, typically with no degree, will step out into a $50,000-60,000.00 job. I do want to end on a positive note and say that there are many good friends and memories made in the military. As much as I have seen people pull each other apart, I have also seen as many military families pull together and lean on each other in times of need generously helping support each other. Thank you Janet. This is a more accurate picture of our world and yes we military families stick together because we all understand and can relate. Well said – thank you for writing this. I sincerely hope that Mr. Wood reads it, and many other civilians as well. Very well put!!! I would also ask everyone to consider how many people who are educated professionals make and live on $40,000 per year sans any BAS or BAH. So no, we DO NOT pay for housing when you live on post, they simply take back what they would otherwise be giving you. You do NOT come out of pocket from your normal pay to live on post. BAH is over and above the military member’s base pay. I used to live in a black mold duplex on Ft Bliss. Then, they started building new homes and we got a home that was incredibly nice and brand new (as nice as could be considering the pressure to throw up nearly 700 homes in less than a year). Not every family has been converted into a nicer home, however, any pass by most posts would show a shift to newer housing. Amen!!! An 18 year old with a diploma will make between 75-100,000 as a roustabout on an offshore oil rig. You took the words right out of me an my military spouse friends! This is a great response to that ignorant Huffington Post journalis who seems to think our military are lavished with benefits. Yes, they could. That also requires much more physical conditioning than being in the military. Fewer people actually have the capability to be a roustabout and it’s one of the 10 worst jobs. ALso, according to CNN Money High School Dropouts High School Diploma Some College Credit Potential http://work.chron.com/average-salary-college-degree-1861.html Do you really think that any doctor has every single symptom and potential diagnosis in their soft tissue memorex? I’d hate to see your critique of us in the missile world. Holy shit, we have 25 year warrant officers (aka technical specialists in their field) who have to occasionally reference something outside of their own brain. To be clear, would you not be complaining if a doctor saved their ‘dignity’ and didn’t suck up their pride and use a peer reviewed medical resource and went off of their limited knowledge? Your assessment is by far the dumbest thing I’ve heard all night. Yes your husbands base pay maybe 43,000. BUT how many families in the US have 43,000 a YEAR after their housing expenses, healthcare and partial food are paid. Not to darn many. Do you know how many prior service members try to get back into the military and back on active duty every year. A lot. Just go down to a recruiting office and talk to the recruiter how many they get basically begging to get back in. I know because my husband has taken that “crawl of shame” into the recruiters office. Why because once you get out you will realize exactly how good you had it! I agree with Kellina Vanpool there is a whole new sense of entitlement that was not there before and this new game of everyone one upping each other of how hard they have it! Remember back before 9/11, before everyone in the country was a “patriot” and patted anyone in the uniform on the back. Remember back when it was old BAQ. No wonder older Veterans and wives look at the military today and shake their heads! Saying your husband only makes 43,000 without counting in-kind housing or BAH if you live off base and BAS is just as much twisting as manipulating the numbers to make them what you want as you claim Mr. Wood is doing. Wow! Of course I don’t expect every single everything to be memorized but when you go into the doctor with chest pains and that doctor assumes you have suddenly developed asthma, 6 mos later there’s 98% blockage of a major artery and you’ve had a heart attack only to find that 6 mos ago was the start of the problem. On second thought I’ll just ignore your thoughts all together since you think those of us who are upset by the Huffington Post article are so dramatic. How in the world should anyone have came to that conclusion based on your initial post? Mean what you say and say what you mean. No, they are not perfect. Three separate military and civilian contract doctors nearly killed our daughter at Reynold’s Community Army Hospital last August and in December. A military doctor also saved her life and got her sent to OU Children’s for life saving surgery. We can certainly agree on the mental health treatment is in general, an absolute failure thus far. All bs aside, I hope your family is better. As I said in a separate post on here, I have had horrible military doctors and ones I’d go back to in a minute, even as a civilian now. I had the same experience with medical treatment in the civilian world when I was not military. Old BAQ is still the same as BHA just a different name. Just like Champus is now Tricare. The point is we military families do not live lavish lives. We give up so others can have the freedoms to look down an judge what we have or don’t have. Laurie Ennis Capps I don’t think anyone thinks we live ‘lavish’ lives. The culture in general does try to live more lavishly by typically living beyond their means and running into self inflicted financial trouble. Yes, we certainly have some inconveniences in the military life, but let’s not pretend like we are not pretty well off for the most part. Very well said and cited with Facts and twisted propaganda like his article. God bless you for handling this with class and dignity ma’am. No BAQ was not equally adjust for duty location and cost of living in that area it was based off national averages. Which left members in higher cost of living areas sorely underfunded. Wonderfully done, thank you. I’m a card carrying liberal, but am in a profession where I assist Soldiers and their dependents every day trying to locate, access and utilize their ‘lavish’ benefits, and I cannot believe the willful ignorance of Mr. Wood in this article. If anything, our Service members and their families deserve MORE compensation and benefits. Higher pay, more comprehensive and accessible healthcare, even more robust family programs and educational assistance. The cost of our military should include EVERYTHING, and if we can’t afford it, then the size of the military needs to be adjusted to a size we can afford. If we are not prepared to pay for our Service Members and their families both during and after a war, then perhaps the war isn’t worth the costs, both in terms of $$ and more importantly, the human cost of those lives, and all the families tied to them. I’m all for shrinking the cost of our defense budget which has ballooned to levels which are ridiculous and unsustainable, but it should be done in the right way, and those who benefit most from the cost of defense are the fat-cats who own the stocks of the companies that benefit the most from the type of military we have built. The strength of our military will always be the amazing citizenry that volunteers into this difficult role, and we as a nation owe it to those who volunteer to ensure that they are always taken care of. Always. If we cannot afford to make and honor that commitment, or are as a nation unwilling to honor that commitment, then we should never ask anyone to make it. I meant for the word NOT to be after facts and before twisted. It’s up to each family how they live. We all live differently depending on what’s important an what’s not. Other than a few times thru the times the military has been open to whom ever wanted to join. An whom ever could pass the enterence test an medical tests. And Mrs. Capps, I’m not trying to pick at you, but you said earlier you are a CG’s wife. I have never met a CG spouse who was longing for anything materially speaking. Furthermore, please do not patronize us. Announcing your husband’s rank as if it gives you credentials is speak about a life you are clearly not in touch with is disrespectful at best. The life of a CG or CG spouse is not even remotely on the same playing field as typical enlisted or even junior grade officers. Your husband, not yourself, works for a company that many others work for, but to compare is on par with comparing a the life of a cashier of a company with the CEO. Yes, they work for the same company, but in absolute unparalleled capacities that generally never cross paths. Forgot after being a military wife for 20 plus years I think we are ok but the medical cuts an such scare me to death. As a military spouse and an educated professional (I have a doctorate in counseling psychology), I just wanted to share that we all have our own perspective based on our experiences. In terms of insurance you mentioned, I did have to pay and use my own insurance because a medical professional at a military clinic (my PCM) refused to refer me to the MILITARY hospital for care and refused to determine what was wrong. I had to use my civilian insurance (TriCare would cover nothing) and get the care I needed, which included surgery and follow-up care. Can this also happen in civilian care? Sure! My point is that some of us military spouses DO use their own insurance when the military system refuses to assist. I also had my first child in a civilian hospital and paid what civilians would pay for all prenatal care, emergency delivery, after care, and for a pediatrician during the first years of my son’s life. So, not all military spouses have benefited completely from the health care benefits. If I did not fight for having a career despite jumping through licensure hoops going from state to state, losing pay because employers were considering you as a first year employee rather than a professional with 10 years experience…I can completely understand why some military spouses do not pursue a career that will provide them civilian insurance (for a fee). BTW…a third of my salary goes to student loans, I was not given a penny to help support my education and the GI Bill couldn’t be signed over to me when I was still in school. It has been very hard work and required sacrifice for my husband as well in supporting me and sacrifice knowing I needed to go into student loan debt to achieve my goals. I could share so many stories, but the point is…I don’t see this letter as complaining or wanting more, I see the author as trying to create a realistic picture for those who do not understand the military lifestyle. I think there is also a “myth” of the military spouse regarding not being satisfied. I don’t see any spouses picketing for more benefits, more money, etc. I just see them advocating for their spouses who deserve the pay they receive and deserve to be celebrated and respected rather than scrutinized for every penny they make or every benefit they receive. I agree the way they decided how to pay us for where we live doesn’t make sense. Most people with a CAREER with the sort of training and such that many military jobs require, after 16 yrs would be making a lot more $43K a year, it is only when you add in all the benefits…housing, BAS, medical that a military pay check comes in close to their civilian counterparts….my husband’s job on the outside with someone like Boeing or Lockhead pays almost DOUBLE what he makes now and he could have made that after about 5-10 yrs with Lockheed…yet he has been in over 16.5 in a highly technical field and makes less than half that….Our healthcare and housing are not FREE it is a benefit the helps make our pay checks more reasonable. It is suppose to HELP offset all the sacrifices the military members and their families go through. So while some of the things mentioned in this blog may be off a little, most of the main stream media “facts” are usually a lot further off and twisted to fit a political agenda. The only agenda here is to remind people that while we signed up for this life, most of us are keeping our side of the deal while our gov’t is cutting more and more and more of it’s promises out and breaking it’s side of the deal. Forgot the Coast Guard are sent to the Pursian Gulf area too. My husband has been over seas more than on US soil in the past 10yrs. Not complaining just saying there over seas an just not on lakes patrolling. “lavishing” applies to the companies who make stealth fighters and drones and whatnot. Grunts get nothing. Kellina Vanpool, you are out of your freaking mind!!!!!! I am a college graduate with an Associates Degree and I make less than $400 a week!!!! Where the hell did you get your numbers on what the earnings are for different education levels are? You need to recheck your facts, you crazy heifer!!!!! I think she took CG to mean commanding general…and you meant Coast Guard….big difference in the two I think…. For anyone who still believes our service members are overpaid: Deployments aside, do people realize the amount of hours a week our soldiers are working? Someone who is fortunate enough to show up for PT at 6:30 and go home on time at 4:30 puts in 50 hours a week. My husband works a minimum of 70 hours a week when everything is running smoothly. What civilian job could afford to pay him that kind of over time week after week? I imagine not many. Sure, if this were a 9 to 5 kind of job then the pay and benefits are probably a little over the top. But when you consider the amount of hours these men and women are pouring into their jobs and the fact that they are on call 24/7 to deal with every type of problem you can’t even imagine it doesn’t sound quite so outlandish. The other common misconception is that our soldiers are uneducated morons. Most Non-Commissioned Officers have earned their bachelors degree or are working to complete it on top of the 50-80 hours a week they are working. I invite anyone to spend a week in my husbands boots and tell me at the end of that week that he doesn’t earn every cent and benefit we receive. To those who still think our military is overpaid…Deployments aside, do people realize the amount of hours a week our soldiers are working? Someone who is fortunate enough to show up for PT at 6:30 and go home on time at 4:30 puts in 50 hours a week. My husband works a minimum of 70 hours a week when everything is running smoothly. What civilian job could afford to pay him that kind of over time week after week? I imagine not many. Sure, if this were a 9 to 5 kind of job then the pay and benefits are probably a little over the top. But when you consider the amount of hours these men and women are pouring into their jobs and the fact that they are on call 24/7 to deal with every type of problem you can’t even imagine it doesn’t sound quite so outlandish. The other common misconception is that our soldiers are uneducated morons. Most Non-Commissioned Officers have earned their bachelors degree or are working to complete it on top of the 50-80 hours a week they are working. I invite anyone to spend a week in my husbands boots and tell me at the end of that week that he doesn’t earn every cent and benefit we receive. Wow. It’s all about money right? I had a long response, but I’m just going to go to bed. The trigeminal neuralgia that paralyzes my face when I worry is starting to act up, plus I have to be up early to help some of our amputees and their spouses… Better yet maybe I shouldn’t…damn entitled spouses. The nerve right? Word! I was in the ER with severe headaches…doc told me there was no reason for them and perhaps the pain was “all in my head.” I landed in the ER three more times each time bringing back full bottles of Vicodin they had given me to show I wasn’t a pain pill seeker. I JUST wanted a consult to a neurologist. After months of pain, turns out the pain WAS in my head! In the form of debilitating cluster headaches and trigeminal neuralgia… This response is factually off base. In less than 4 years, that service member will be able to retire with 50% pay and full benefits at the (likely) age of 38. The fact that he’s an E6 at 16 years means he performs bellow average, or may have been a trouble maker for some time. Current total compensation for service members, including allowances, which are not taxed, are well above the national median. When you factor in the retirement benefits that few corporations offer anymore, job security, and the fact that your allowances increase as your family grows!?!?, choosing to serve is actually a good deal from a financial perspective. When I got out as a Captain, I conducted a thorough financial comparison between staying in or not. It turned out that to match the total value of staying in and retiring with 28yrs service (retire at 46, who can afford to do that in the civilian world besides the super successful?), I would need to attain an average compensation over $200,000/year through my 30′s and 40′s! Plus, most officers can then go into defense or management consulting in their late 40′s and collect a big paycheck on top of their retirement. Thank you so much for standing up and sharing the truth. Thank u!! So glad to see someone taking up for us! My husband is an e-5…I work full-time nights on the weekends so that we can have the 2 incomes that we need to make it and all week I am in school for nursing…when I am home I am a mother of 3…I am exhausted and overwhelmed all of the time…and when I read that stupid article all I could think was…”seriously?”…oh btw we are paying for every penny of my school! Just curious… the $4,000 would be the BAS she was talking about. $352.27 * 12 = $4227.24 … so technically she was right about it being 4K. Just rounding to an “even” type of number. But I served and knew that she meant a years worth of BAS. actually, everyone is NOT being required to tighten their belts. i am sick, sick, sick, sick, sick of be taxed into oblivion and seeing cuts made to military when my money is being handed over to slackers who REFUSE to get a job and perpetuate this entitlement attitude into their continuing generations of children. If all of that money was redirected, we would not have many of the issues we have. our country has nurtured a spineless, gutless, entitlement seeking mass of people who contribute nothing but try to take everything. the military is not without faults…obviously. but those people in the military are ready to answer the call if and when it comes. wish i could say that about a goodly portion of the rest of the nation. I’m glad I did not read the article from mr wood, Janet, you spoke my heart!!!!!! I say HOOAH to your response!!!!! crista: YOUR key word is SPECIAL PAY. not everyone is so fortunate. what is unfortunate is your selfish attitude that doesnt involve standing up for those less fortunate. you are also very incorrect in stating that it requires no degree or education. educate your self and you will find that promotions require a degree. I doubt that your spouse calls whatever special school he attended to receive his special pay nothing. lastly as a military wife how do you not see the truth that with the sacrifices we make we deserve more. comparing military life to civilian life is apples and oranges. civilians are not government owned. Wow Christa, my husband has the same time in and same rank and we def don’t make that much, more like 20k a year less before taxes. my information is incorrect lower enlisted promotions do not require college degree but ALL do require college courses. Also adoption assistance is on the table for services being cut. A final note is that you have not adopted yet and cannot comprehend the life of a military family to be speaking for us who do… As a military family living on 1 income we live quite comfortably within our means. That does not mean that we are living lavish, we make sacrifices where we have to. My father was a NYC police officer and his pay and benefits were comparable to the military. We are not rich, but we have food on our table, a roof over our head and a car in the driveway. Sadly this is not the truth for our civilian friends. So NO we do not live Lavish lives, the pay will NEVER compensate for the time away from family BUT it’s a steady paycheck and the medical is cheap (albeit you get what you pay for) There are MANY other areas where the government could cut military funding (ie. civilian contractors) without cutting TA for soldiers who not only need the civilian education to advance in their military careers but to help succeed in life beyond the military. I live in government leased housing at the moment and DO NOT receive BAH. I was being honest using MY personal situation. Mr. Woods was including combat pay and special pay and trying to play that off as a normal paycheck – which is not true and should not be made to be seen as truth. Kellina, You’ve obviously have your opinions, too which you are entitled, but the fact remains that Mr. Wood’s article is severely biased and inaccurate. I don’t know what has caused your hatred of the military and military spouses, and to be honest, I don’t care. What I do care about is our troops. We have been at war now for ten years, and most have served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and done so with honor. No, not every job is as dangerous as others, but they are still deployed, away from loved ones, living in conditions that are, in many cases worse than those convicted of felonies. I am a veteran of more than twenty years, with more deployments than I care to remember, so I would only ask that both sides be heard, and not attack the person, but rather the article or response. And yes’m our medical is that bad, since now I’m receiving collection notices for medical treatment that was ordered by a military medical facility, given by a civilian facility, and now neither TriCare or my civilian insurance will pay for it, pointing the finger at each other. I’d be happy to share the collection notice if you don’t believe me. Hey ther top commenter, you seem to have a lot of time on your hands. If you agree with Mr. Wood and his article, maybe you should look a little deeper at where the government is spending our money. Military pay and benefits are the least of our concerns. $250 Million to Egypt? Sounds like a solid investment.. Oh, and as for your calling BS on her spouses pay, I’m an E6 with 14 years, and my W2 is 40,000. Gotta love tax season, I can veify it right away. You say she’s over exaggerating, and dramatizing facts. Hypocrites never see that they’re doing the same stuff that they blame others of doing. I have to agree with Christa. As much as I back every benafit to troops and veterans I will have to be honest here. Military pay was so good for me (esp that overseas COLA) that I have been living off of it for the past 6 years while going to school, traveling, and getting kicked around in seasonal work. The GI Bill is a sweeter benefit than ANY scholarship out there, and even trumps grad school/PhD research grants. I work in an industry which pays much less, and still do not have insurance (rejected many times by insurance companies bc of Army injuries). I have almost no chance of getting a job with a pension in this industry, and even with a masters degree, make less than your husband. In five years in the Army my pay more than doubled, thats hard to find as a civilian. Remember, over the last decade the civilian sector has been hurting quite a bit. Very few of my Veteran friends have solid jobs, and many have elected to go back into the military. For the rest promotions and raises as a only happen when the people above you leave, or the business makes enough money, which has not been happening lately. For many of my civilian piers, having a family isnt even an option because of cost. Yeah, Army life was tough, but for me anyway, it was all on the mind and the body, and not on the wallet. Christa, I do not believe EVERYONE is a fair number. I do not see congress cutting back. And what about the congress person completing a minimum term and then receiving 6 figures for the rest of their lives? I believe your views maybe different due to the fact that we have all had different experiences in our military lives. The numbers game is just that, a game. So you take your rainbows and kittens and enjoy. The point of this article was to try to help better shed some light on our lavishly molded, lead paint, sometimes dilapidated housing, sub-par medical treatment, and under payed but overworked soldiers. But hey you keep painting that turd if it makes you feel better. Just remember, it may be painted but it definitely still just a turd! Christa Singleton, your math must be WAY off. My husband is an E7 with 16 yrs in and doesn’t even make 73K with BAH, BAH and special duty pay. (Making E6 by 8 years is pretty goo if you ask me. My opinion is that they are promoting lower enlisted way too fast these days) Incredibly cheap prices at the commissary? lol. Which one? I have been to many of them and they are never any cheaper than off post grocery stores, which usually also carry fresher produce by the way. “Now, please tell me where someone, typically with no degree, will step out into a $50,000-60,000.00 job. ” – You can not make enough rank to bring in this pay with out having civilian education (college credits) to make promotion points. Yes but you still get housing no matter if you do not receive the the cash for it. Like I said if you do not count BAH OR IN-KIND housing value. You don;t get BAH because YOU GET IN-KIND HOUSING. You are not trying to pay housing expenses out your base salary. That is all BAH really means. Honest? Really? IS that like the symantecs you use of of not every soldier gets a GI Bill? You took the student loan repayment option. Point is you still got the money. The military still paid for your education. Your letter is not honest with the numbers. You are trying to make them as little as possible. No matter if it is future payment, payment directly to something you have already spent, BAH or in-kind, BAS or meals in the DFAC. Bottom line is those add dollar value to your compensation. Dollar value you get or don;t have to pay which improves your standard of living. But like I said if it is so difficult leave, don’t reenlist there are thousands of prior service who would take the Active Duty slot. But there IS a reason people keep reenlisting. Sorry but if you actually thought it was so unfair compared to the civilian world, you would be in the civilian world right now. Yes my husband was sent home twice from the ER (on post) told he just “needed to poo” the next day sent to PT and then to the er a third time because he had to have his appendix taken out! But not until he was in the ER for hours in pain. I did say what I meant and meant what I said. Our soldiers don’t receive adequate healthcare! I shouldn’t have to give all of the details of my experience to justify my thoughts on it. Thankyouverymuch. My husband also spent 4+ mos in a boot when it turned out not to be necessary, I guess I should mention that as well right? :eyeroll: Christina, your husband must make a lot of money in special pay! My husband is an E-6 with 16 yrs active duty and 5 yrs guard time (I only include guard time because they consider him having 21 yrs for pay purposes). If we add BAH, BAS, and Base Pay he makes roughly $66K/yr. That is more than double time in service and no special pay. Not trying to compare or play the “I make more than you” game. I’m just pointing out that there are circumstances that make every soldier’s pay different, so unless you have access to their LES, don’t be quick to claim they make more than what they say. BobandCathy Villa , I have to disagree with that last statement. People who choose to serve their country do so because of the values they have. My husband has been in the Navy for nearly 15 years and could easily be making 200K doing what he does in the civilian world. But he chooses not to. He COULD work 40-60 hours a week in a civilian job and make that amount, be home on the evenings and weekends to see his famly, and not have to uproot to a new duty station or deploy every few years, but instead he works 14-18 hour days and, even with BAH living in the DC area, he pulls in under 100K (again, see civilian comparative above). Because he loves his country and he believes in what he does. I think the point that has gotten people upset is that the pay is not equal to the demands. We haven’t seen my husband on a regular basis for nearly three years. It’s gotten to the point that my three year old asks nearly every night if we’re going to see daddy this week. So yes, while a job in the civilan world would be more convenient for our family, serving his country is important to him, and because it was those values that attracted me to him in the first place, I could never ask him to leave his career. Besides, some people believe in doing things that are bigger than themselves…and those are the people that make this country great. Actually they didn’t pay my loans back because my paperwork was not done correctly during my enlistment and no one could find it. By time I spent over a year fighting for it, They only paid one loan off for 2500 and left me with 25,000 dollars in unpaid loans. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but do not judge me or call me dishonest. I have no reason to lie about our life in the military. Also, you do pay expenses on your housing even if you have BAH. Most of the time it does not cover all the utilities for a home and even on-base now you have to pay part of your electric bill. I am not trying to compare our life to that of a civilians. I just want people to have an accurate account of life in the military and about our benefits that so many feel we have too many off or have a skewed understanding of the benefits received in the military. Isnt it voluntary?? Unfortunatly were being manipulated, so we fight and never stand together. When poeple occupied Wall Street, because the banks and Wall street were f…ing our world up, they called those poeple “dugged up freeloaders” that took the attention away from there cause. when we were offered free health care they called it “socialism and your taxes will double”. when u add up sales tax, insurance, insurance on the insurance u have. you pay more than double, but it took attention away from the cause. When they wanted to close planned parenthood they said they were performing abortions. (which they dont) but the difference was women stood together and it didnt work as well. However the crackpots came out and made them move anyway. So it worked. And now they want to give kids free Pre School, FREE PRESCHOOL!!!!!!!! They r telling u we think you have a lavish life style, trust me all they wont to do is stop outside companies charging $600 for a f…ing tiolet seat, read between the lines, do your history. No one is jealous of what u have or dont have or if your lifes harder or easier, when the chips r down we all come together! PLEASE PLEASE realize hate is a powerful tool and the poeple spreading it usually have an agenda, and before the haters write back (which would prove my point) watch the movie Hot Coffee. then u can write me but only if u watch the movie. Sorry for your issues with military healthcare however the same things or worse do happen with healthcare on the outside that you pay a lot more for. Few people know the quality of training military docs and nurses have or that on the outside it is all about money, coding, and insurance. No one tells their friends or posts about great care, only the things they did not like. Today in healthcare it is becoming more and more to do what the patient wants and will make them happy than what is excellent and prudent healthcare because of their experience watching ‘House’, ‘ER’, or googling their condition. If you people are that jealous, and concerned that we as Active Duty Soldiers have it sooooo much better than you, why not step over to our side of the fence and then form your opinion? If you have served, Thank You, but do not down us because you are jealous that we received benefits that may not have been available at the time you served. As for me, I will never speak down on anyone that wore or wears the uniform, that doesn’t disgrace it. I worked in the civilian world for 15 years before joining the military, so I know first hand the differences. Why aren’t you people griping about civilian doctors or lawyers that live a lavish lifestyle? Because the fact remains, that they were willing to work hard to obtain their status and goals. So don’t put people down, just because they worked harder to better themselves and their family than you do or did. One other point I would like to make is about what someone mentioned earlier about the people on welfare that live in section 8 housing that do nothing except draw a check for a living. Do a little research…. We as Active Duty Military make up less than one percent of the population. What percent makes up the welfare percentage? It’s amazing to me that the monthly/yearly pay of less than one percent of the population is what is causing the economic dilemma that we are experiencing as of now. As I said in the first post, Do not be mad or jealous because you think someone has it better than you, Just go out and work a little harder to get where you think they are. When you get to where they are, you’ll most likely observe that what they have, wasn’t just handed to them. EXCELLENT article! Do you remember when you were 4 and struggling with a sibling over control of the yellow Crayola? What was your first response? Hopefully you didn’t smack them and most likely you ran to Mom or Dad and tattled. It’s in our nature to tattle I think. Well just before writing this I tattled and… I use ICE as well, good, bad whatever! I ICE it. It does work! I have had so many things over the years to be thankful for – my wonderful family and amazing friends, the different opportunities that I had growing up, among so many other things. This year something is hitting a little differently. Eight years ago, two days before Thanksgiving I left for basic training. I had…  When we found out that we were relocating I think like every other military family our first concern was where would we live, would our stuff make it to our new base in one piece, would my children make new friends easily, and how are we going to find good schools for our children? After… |
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