OT: Military Pay ** III

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

 

Consider this as a tactical preemptive strike on those who CONSIDER

claiming that GIs are paid enough .. this will make them come up with

facts instead of gut feelings .. ;-p It is a post I made in reply on

another list (not Idma) ... and I think these points need to be

impressed upon as many folks as possible .. Butch

----------------

My comments are not intended to be arguementative .. but rather to give

an additional view to your evaluation of military pay.

 

> My nephew who is Navy will be able to retire at age 35 with a pension

> and enough stashed in a savings/investment accounts to live quite

> nicely for the rest of his natural life.

 

Depends on who or what you are comparing him to. And what his potential

would have been on the outside. But that is not even worth discussing

because your nephew is but one soldier and even then, you might not have

all the facts .. only those he chooses to share with you.

 

Though I am retired Army, I have been on board carriers and submarines

for short periods during cross-training. I would not want to sleep in a

hot bunk situation as these troops do. They have less personal space

than you have in the average carry on luggage .. and sharing a bunk on

shifts with crew members is not all that much of a morale builder.

 

Not many people are willing to work routine 60-80 hour weeks and while

in field operations or in combat .. 120-140 hour weeks. On board ship,

you are REALLY never off duty. And there is no guarantee that ANY

soldier, sailor or airman will reach retirement age intact - or alive.

A fact offensive but still a fact of reality .. :-(

 

> He joined at 18 and knows how to save.

 

Then he cannot retire with the minimum of 50% of base pay until he

reaches 38 .. 20 years active service. Though there are some new

programs that offer golden parachute fees and stipends each year for so

many years .. this is for those soldiers in overstaffed occupational

specialities who are not qualified for retraining into understaffed

cross specialities ... I doubt your nephew is one of those folks based

on your words - it seems he is a smart young man with a good head.

 

> He's married with a child.

 

Good show .. I had four children through most of my 30 years service.

And a wife who could handle me leaving on 24 hours notice to parts

unknown. Obviously your nephew's wife is also such a woman. Not every

marriage can survive under such conditions. I salute such women.

 

> So maybe the pay isn't all that bad eh?

 

I think we must be far more careful to get facts outside our own small

corner of the world ... and far less cavalier when commenting on such

important issues. US Congressional comittees have seen the facts in

dollars and cents .. military associations have compared the pay of

various military occupational specialities with similar civilian

counterparts ... and it is a shame.

 

If is for this reason that the USAF can't keep pilots beyond their

initial obligatory service following training .. and the other services

have a hard time keeping those who were highly trained in technical

fields that require continuation of service if the military is to get a

return on the investment.

 

> Oh yea - he's not an officer either - just an enlisted man.

 

Wash your mouth out with soap made with fragrance oil! ;-p There's no

such thing as " just an enlisted man. " I spent 9 years and 11 months in

an enlisted status and received one of the rare battlefield promotions

to 2d Lt given during the 'Nam period. My enlisted time qualified me to

be known as something most professionals were jealous of - a Mustang!

 

We saw it from both sides and obviously that gave us a leg up on being

all we could be as an officer. Also, everyone has an equally important

role in the military team .. officers command .. but it is the non-coms

that run the military and the troops that really do the hard work. If

an officer wants to ensure failure, all they have to do is lose the

trust and confidence of their non-commissioned officers .. and it is

those non-coms that train the new lieutenants how to be soldiers!!!

 

> XXXX

 

Again .. not trying to be arguementive .. just authoritative .. ;-)

Joking I am ... somewhat ... ;-p But really, I salute your nephew and

his professional military partner .. his wife. She is a very important

part of that team because without her support, he'll fail in every way.

 

Thank God for our American Patriots and thank God for those who are

willing to go in Harm's Way for those who might not appreciate their

sacrifices. Y'all keep smiling, Butch http://www.AV-AT.com