Military being paid too much?

[kgbsquirrel]

http://www.navycs.com/2013-military-pay-chart.html

(Psst. Look at the over 40 year categories...) 

[RoadKingLarry]

Fast forward to 2011 and as the same E-5 I would have earned $2,090.10 per month, or $25,081.20 per year. That ain't a lot. Compared to a standard 40-hour week, that equates to $12.06 per hour. Slightly above minimum wage, but not enough to live on ... at least, not in many parts of the country.

I think the closest I came to only a 40 hour week while in the Navy was while I was in training. More than compensated for by by the 80-100 hour weeks we got while in the shipyard or the 24/7 for months on end while underway. Even while I was on instructor duty we were expected to put in at least 50 hours a week in order to show "proper dedication" to the job. That of course didn't include duty days (or lunch breaks).

[wmenorr67]

When it comes to Military pay only the base pay is subject to taxes.  Your substance allowance and housing allowance are tax free.

[birdman]

http://www.navycs.com/2013-military-pay-chart.html

(Psst. Look at the over 40 year categories...)  

Hrm...so my friend who is retiring next week after 35yrs, E-9, is only grossing like $84k before taxes and all the allowances?  And like $19k in BAH?  So net like 70-80k?  Damn, he should be paid more.

Of course, a 3-star at macdill is like $180k/yr and 24k in BAH...that's not bad actually.  I mean, a far cry from what a retired 3-star will earn, but still.

[wmenorr67]

Hrm...so my friend who is retiring next week after 35yrs, E-9, is only grossing like $84k before taxes and all the allowances?  And like $19k in BAH?  So net like 70-80k?  Damn, he should be paid more.

MONTHLY ALLOWANCE:
E-9 with DEPENDENTS: $1623.00
   
E-9 without DEPENDENTS: $1218.00

Calculator found here: http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm

   

[wmenorr67]

As an E6 with the number of years in on active duty I would make $3600 a month base and then my housing would be $1125, give or take.

[kgbsquirrel]

Letsee, worst hours I ever worked.... FSA for 94 days on the Iwo Jima during the 2003 deployment. (This post not to be construed as bitching.)

0400: Wake up.
0430: Eat breakfast.
0500: Start serving food/washing dishes/etc.
~1100: 20 minute lunch break.
~1700: 20 minute dinner break.
1930: Stop serving food/washing dishes/etc. and start cleaning.
2100: Finish cleaning, thus concludes the work day.

2100-0400: Squeeze in laundry, showering, training (idiots in the deck office wanted me to 3M qual while FSA), miscellaneous crap, oh and some sleep if there's time.

Maintained that schedule Monday through Sunday, for 94 days non-stop. 16 hour days, 17-18 if you count training and other dumb crap that I got saddled with during the same time period.

*gets curious, crunches numbers*

E-1, with less than 2 years in, but greater than four months in 2003... $1,150.80  No sea pay for E-1's. No BAS as food was provided on the messdeck. No "combat zone pay" or "tax free" as no areas in the eastern Med/Red/Arabian seas or the Gulf were designated as such then. Obviously no BAH.

So, an average of 17 hours a day, 30 days a month, about a 15% tax withholding at the time....  $1.92 an hour.


Oh, something to bend your brains with. When I wasn't FSA My work day was 0700-1700, and then a 5 hour bridge watch tossed in that rotated through the day (4 shift sections, 5 shifts one of which was only 4 hours). So what was whee little Seaman Recruit Squirrel's job on watch when he was being paid two bucks an hour? Oh, not much. Just driving the $1,500,000,000 ship that had 3,000 people on board and helicopters and harriers trying to take off and land.   What can I say, take me out to see Spain/Greece/Malta/Dubai and I'll work for damned little.  

[French G.]

When I left AD in 2008 I was making 70K pre-tax which is how civilian pay is bandied around. Better yet was all the tax perks such as BAH and such. I was an E-6 over 12 with 10 years on my sea counter. I made more than I make civilian world and more than I could hope to make in my field of airplane fixing unless I want to do it someplace sandy. I need civilian BS credentials to get management, I see that my real job of managing the daily productive output of 12-40 people pays better than welding. And truthfully, I figure at $20/hour I compensated pretty fairly to weld crap together in a non-travel, non-field work 40+ hour a week envoronment.

I don't think we need to reduce military pay, but I get irritated at all the populist drivel stories of poor recruit Skippy living on food stamps. The military is pretty well compensated. Chances are he has no marketable skills in the real wolrd and in the military world he's a screw-up that won't advance or he has a dependopotamus, so rugrats, an ex-wife and 2 car loans he can't afford. Welcome to life Skippy.

[Strings]

> but I get irritated at all the populist drivel stories of poor recruit Skippy living on food stamps. The military is pretty well compensated. Chances are he has no marketable skills in the real wolrd and in the military world he's a screw-up that won't advance or he has a dependopotamus, so rugrats, an ex-wife and 2 car loans he can't afford. Welcome to life Skippy.<

I've told more than one kid, who's asked about the military, "don't chase skirts your first enlistment. Forget the opposite sex exists".

Almost all the problems I saw in people E1-4 could be traced back to women, in one way or another. From going out every chance (to look for a girl), spending WAY too much money trying to get/impress/keep a girl, getting in trouble because the girl gets knocked up/claims assault/has connected family.

VERY rare for a junior enlisted to run into serious problems that DIDN'T come from the opposite sex, and the pursuit thereof, in my experience.
   

[French G.]

And a Marine General floated the (very reasonable to my mind) idea that we treat first termers like the service academy inductees. No dependents. He was beaten down in the press. Would solve a ton of problems and save us a load of money too. It's a volunteer service. You can volunteer under those conditions too. Want a family? Make E-5, re-up, be a career guy. And I'm sure if we waive people for every other thing there would be financial stability based waivers for that odd 30 year old with a family who decides he wants to join.

[Jamisjockey]

When I left AD in 2008 I was making 70K pre-tax which is how civilian pay is bandied around. Better yet was all the tax perks such as BAH and such. I was an E-6 over 12 with 10 years on my sea counter. I made more than I make civilian world and more than I could hope to make in my field of airplane fixing unless I want to do it someplace sandy. I need civilian BS credentials to get management, I see that my real job of managing the daily productive output of 12-40 people pays better than welding. And truthfully, I figure at $20/hour I compensated pretty fairly to weld crap together in a non-travel, non-field work 40+ hour a week envoronment.

I don't think we need to reduce military pay, but I get irritated at all the populist drivel stories of poor recruit Skippy living on food stamps. The military is pretty well compensated. Chances are he has no marketable skills in the real wolrd and in the military world he's a screw-up that won't advance or he has a dependopotamus, so rugrats, an ex-wife and 2 car loans he can't afford. Welcome to life Skippy.

QFT.  We all pay the consequences of our actions.  Back in the day I've seen E2's with as many as 4 kids.  Color me unsympathetic.

And a Marine General floated the (very reasonable to my mind) idea that we treat first termers like the service academy inductees. No dependents. He was beaten down in the press. Would solve a ton of problems and save us a load of money too. It's a volunteer service. You can volunteer under those conditions too. Want a family? Make E-5, re-up, be a career guy. And I'm sure if we waive people for every other thing there would be financial stability based waivers for that odd 30 year old with a family who decides he wants to join.

A plan I fully supported.

[K Frame]

"So how is it Corporal Skippy is making over $50k a year?"

Black market weapons sales.

[JonnyB]

Son 2 was making $60K plus in Iraq five years ago. All tax-exempt, as well.

He and his wife paid off a nearly new truck and all their student loans while he was active duty.

He done good.

jb

[T.O.M.]

VERY rare for a junior enlisted to run into serious problems that DIDN'T come from the opposite sex, and the pursuit thereof, in my experience.
   

Junior officers, too.  Knew a few O-1's and O-2's who hooked up with a townie looking for a good time, and ended up with a baby on the way and a new wife.  

Anyone who complains about their pay has two choices...suck it up or find new work that pays better.  
Anyone who complains about how much someone else makes should do the same.
Anyone who complains how much a soldier/Marine/sailor makes, feel free to sign up for that big cash.  Otherwise, shut up.

[Jamisjockey]

"So how is it Corporal Skippy is making over $50k a year?"

Black market weapons sales.

Irwin wins.

[kgbsquirrel]

"So how is it Corporal Skippy is making over $50k a year?"

Black market weapons sales.

I knew I was doing something wrong.

[French G.]

Anyone who complains how much a soldier/Marine/sailor makes, feel free to sign up for that big cash.  Otherwise, shut up.

ahh, a solution.