• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

are the military under paid ??

R

RichPLS

Senior member
are the military under paid ??

well folks it depends what you call underpaid..
remember this generation comes to the military with little or no life skills they for the most part have never had more than a hundred dollars in their pockets their blessed with raging hormones and the need to fulfill those hormones--they are bombarded with 800 dollar a month dream car payments--they accept uncle sam as their benefactor where babies are free :so enlist and start having those free babies--they too are at the age of say--"party mode" where sex, drugs and rock n'roll is all they live for.. with those ground rules lets talk average gi joe pay, e-3 to e-5
well folks base pay including BAH, HD, SEPERATION PAY,ALLOWANCES and other moneys they make 33-38,000 a year with medical and food taken care of as well.
that at a minimum is equal to 17-20 dollars per hour--now where in the good ole usa job market do you think a 18-20 yr old can make say 20 dollars per hr salary--NO WHERE thats where--if their black the answer is even beyond no where, but the problem here is they think with little or no further education that the civilian economy will welcome their so call sacrifices and pay them way more than the military--not hardly--in fact in the next few days their benefits are going up another 3 grand a year on the average. the reality that your non military son or daughter may work to go to college for 4 years and not start at 40k per year--
Take into account that that pre pubescent military boy raging hormones and all is likely going to commit to marriage and a couple of kids--again most of them have come up thru the pablum trail to nintendo to an ar-15 quite a jump eh--
to digress a moment when i was in the military--no, julius cesear was not commander in chief--we had farm boys who knew how to work, we had apprentice welders, plumbers, mechanics, carpenters
and dozens of other trades available--how many of your sons or daughters can even change a tire, do laundry, remember to brush their teeth, sew on a button, have ever shined their own shoes the answer is damn near non of them can do these things,, then you think your govt can take this rabble and make soldiers out of them in 8 weeks??? ha-ha, the military will meet their bullet fodder goal and thats all thats required
Now once again, these junior play soldiers with those raging hormones out looking for some female to procreate for free with, now have some money in their pockets and the lies they have been fed is they have some worth so therefore they need a 50 thousand dollar set of wheels, a nice off base apt where they can partee 24-7, a 5000 dollar stereo because their hearing is sooo acute they need to differentiate the foul language of rap music. Then add to that the other costs of life like insurances --food and clothing for the spouse and those free into life children--what do you think you have fostered----a broke american gi family !! so to guess at whether our servicemen are under or over paid is left to economists that know where these bases are and the regional economies they support--then they set the rates--why do you think senators and congressmen fight for military bases??
Its always about the money..
Topo Joe
 
Search
U.S. Military
Sponsored Links
Military Pay Chart
Find Benefits Online - Fast & Easy. Discounts, Scholarships, Friends.
www.military.com

Military Association
$3,000 free AD&D for active military, reserves and veterans.
www.asmba.com

Military Loan Center
Loans to $10,000 for active duty and retired military 24/7 worldwide
www.themilitaryzone.com
2005 Military Pay Chart

FY 2005 Base Pay Charts

More of this Feature
? 2005 Officer Base Pay
? 2005 Warramt Officer Base Pay
? Military Pay Main Menu


Join the Discussion
Visit Our Message Forum

Related Resources
? Military Rank Charts
? What the Recruiter Never Told You
? Military Pay Regulation


Elsewhere on the Web
? DFAS (Defense Finance)

Enlisted Base Pay for FY 2005

The FY 2005 Military Authorization Act, and FY 2005 Military Appropriations Act, are now law. The last bill, HR 400, the FY 2005 Military Authorization Act was signed into law by President Bush on October 28, 2004. The act includes an across-the-board 3.5 percent base pay raise for all military personnel.

In addition to the 3.5 percent raise in basic pay, both committees also approved raising BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) to the point where it will pay 100 percent of the average housing costs. This concludes DOD's five-year plan to completely eliminate out-of-pocket housing expenses by FY 2005 (average out-of-pocket housing expenses in FY 2004 is 3.5 percent).

This is the first time in five years that Congress did not "target" the pay raise by giving some ranks a higher raise percentage than other ranks. In FY 2004, the average pay raise was 4.1 percent, but some members received as little as 3.7 percent, while others received as much as 6.25 percent. In 2005, all members will receive a base pay raise of 3.5 percent.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Congress will approve a pay raise larger than the level of private sector pay raises. Once implemented, this raise is expected to decrease the "pay gap" from 5.5 percent to 5.1 percent.

Active duty military members are paid twice per month, on the 1st and the 15th of each month. If "payday" falls on a weekend or holiday, they are paid on the duty day preceeding the weekend or holiday. For example, if the 15th of the month falls on Sunday, the member would be paid on Friday. Because the below chart shows MONTHLY pay, the member would receive 1/2 of this on each payday.

FY 2005 Military base pay is based upon grade (rank) and years of service: Rank <2 2 3 4 6 8 10 12
E-9 3901.12 3989.61
E-8 3193.49 3334.77 3422.02
E-7 2220.08 2423.14 2515.67 2638.94 2734.57 2899.45 2992.29 3084.51
E-6 1920.44 2112.64 2205.79 2296.46 2390.85 2604.16 2687.07 2779.29
E-5 1759.60 1876.97 1967.64 2060.79 2205.17 2329.68 2421.59 2450.78
E-4 1612.74 1695.64 1787.24 1877.59 1957.70 1957.70 1975.70 1957.70
E-3 1456.25 1547.84 1640.99 1640.99 1640.99 1640.99 1640.99 1640.99
E-2 1384.52 1384.52 1384.52 1384.52 1384.52 1384.52 1384.52 1384.52
E-1 1235.17 1235.17 1235.17 1235.17 1235.17 1235.17 1235.17 1235.17
E-1 with less than 4 months of service $1,142.64

heres the monthy pay add the other stuff and it almost doubles...

Topo Joe
 
they don't get a premium rate for being in theaters of war/ more volatile areas right, then yes they are underpaid
 
Originally posted by: kreactor
they don't get a premium rate for being in theaters of war/ more volatile areas right, then yes they are underpaid
Click to expand...

They get combat pay and tax exemptions for being in a war
 
Talking with a lady friend who is a missionary in Africa she said that aids is way down on the list for cause if death--she says the number one killer is malaria and hygiene related illnesses- most water is poison, rarely boiled, ingested from the ground--she said the average africans body has an enormous amount of deadly giardia bugs that would kill a normal person in minutes-this is from human and animal feces being a part of everything--fact remains that the 5 dollars worth of antibiotics needed to maintain life is not available to them thru the govt or the church and before we are done in tsunami land we will spend millions on cigarettes but no quinine or cipro for the africans--can you see the politics yet..

last I heard Bush is still not releasing billions of dollars donated for the 911 survivors, humm wonder where our 350 million for tsunami land is coming from???

GI joe

 
Without a free market for national defense, how could we possibly know if anyone in the military was overpaid or underpaid? In absence of a market price judgements of their salary are merely subjective opinions. Furthermore, I do not believe that there would ever be a market for invading a country that posed little or no threat to the country.
 
As a soldier myself (part time anyway), I would have to say, no. This may contrast sharply with many opinions here, however, I remember the days when my father was in the Army and we could barely get by. That was at almost 20 years in service as an E-7. Times have changed dramatically. I don't think you'll find many soldiers who say they want for much materialistically or financially to be honest. I work on an Army installation every day and I see thousands of late model cars with every amenity you can image affixed to them. I go in their houses and see big screen TVs and other "luxury" electronics all the time, things we could barely afford when my father was in the service. Soldiers today get paid very well.

Let's put it this way. When I was activated here stateside, I was bringing home over $1500 every two weeks. Most of that was NOT taxable at the end of the year (only $26,000.00 was taxable). Factor in other benefits (free college classes/exams, GI Bill of $1000/month, no taxes on goods purchased on post, tax breaks for deployment, 10% return on investment in Thrift Savings Plan in the course of a year up to $10,000.00, etc.) and soldiers have everything they could ever want and more. Should all of this diminsh the sacrifices they make? HELL NO! Make no mistake, however, a soldier wise with his money can become very rich off of their service if they choose. It's not uncommon for a soldier today to come back from Iraq with $10k or more in his checking account that usually goes toward purchasing a new car.
 
Originally posted by: Rogue
As a soldier myself (part time anyway), I would have to say, no. This may contrast sharply with many opinions here, however, I remember the days when my father was in the Army and we could barely get by. That was at almost 20 years in service as an E-7. Times have changed dramatically. I don't think you'll find many soldiers who say they want for much materialistically or financially to be honest. I work on an Army installation every day and I see thousands of late model cars with every amenity you can image affixed to them. I go in their houses and see big screen TVs and other "luxury" electronics all the time, things we could barely afford when my father was in the service. Soldiers today get paid very well.

Let's put it this way. When I was activated here stateside, I was bringing home over $1500 every two weeks. Most of that was NOT taxable at the end of the year (only $26,000.00 was taxable). Factor in other benefits (free college classes/exams, GI Bill of $1000/month, no taxes on goods purchased on post, tax breaks for deployment, 10% return on investment in Thrift Savings Plan in the course of a year up to $10,000.00, etc.) and soldiers have everything they could ever want and more. Should all of this diminsh the sacrifices they make? HELL NO! Make no mistake, however, a soldier wise with his money can become very rich off of their service if they choose. It's not uncommon for a soldier today to come back from Iraq with $10k or more in his checking account that usually goes toward purchasing a new car.
Click to expand...

I agree that military pay rates are adequate. You can always find hardship stories though because there are inevitably junior enlisted with four kids and a non-working spouse who are using WIC vouchers because they can't afford the food bills. Well, how many 22 year olds with three to four kids can afford to support their family on an entry level salary?

The one major criticism I have of the military pay system is the lack of matching contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan, something which civilians in the government enjoy but military does not. While TSP is better than nothing (like an IRA for those that aren't familiar), and the military does have a generous retirement plan, the lack of any matching funds is bothersome to me.

Incidentally, TSP does NOT have a 10% return on investment. You're thinking of the military savings account that you can invest in while deployed to a combat zone. I can't remember the exact name of that, but it's not the TSP.

One last comment: A straight comparison of salaries is inadequate when assessing the fairness of military pay, however. Very, very few civilian jobs require the kinds of sacrifices which most jobs in the military require. Early morning calls, 12-16 hour days during crises, intense local exercises, 90/120/180/365 day deployments to austere and/or combat environments, constant moving to different assignments, trips for training or exercises, exacting fitness and grooming standards, etc. I worked in a law office for awhile, and it's simply not comparable on most levels. But, I get so much more job satisfaction in the service that it sometimes feels like I shouldn't be paid for doing this stuff, and there are definite benefits that aren't available in civilian jobs.
 
Originally posted by: AndrewR
Originally posted by: Rogue
As a soldier myself (part time anyway), I would have to say, no. This may contrast sharply with many opinions here, however, I remember the days when my father was in the Army and we could barely get by. That was at almost 20 years in service as an E-7. Times have changed dramatically. I don't think you'll find many soldiers who say they want for much materialistically or financially to be honest. I work on an Army installation every day and I see thousands of late model cars with every amenity you can image affixed to them. I go in their houses and see big screen TVs and other "luxury" electronics all the time, things we could barely afford when my father was in the service. Soldiers today get paid very well.

Let's put it this way. When I was activated here stateside, I was bringing home over $1500 every two weeks. Most of that was NOT taxable at the end of the year (only $26,000.00 was taxable). Factor in other benefits (free college classes/exams, GI Bill of $1000/month, no taxes on goods purchased on post, tax breaks for deployment, 10% return on investment in Thrift Savings Plan in the course of a year up to $10,000.00, etc.) and soldiers have everything they could ever want and more. Should all of this diminsh the sacrifices they make? HELL NO! Make no mistake, however, a soldier wise with his money can become very rich off of their service if they choose. It's not uncommon for a soldier today to come back from Iraq with $10k or more in his checking account that usually goes toward purchasing a new car.
Click to expand...

I agree that military pay rates are adequate. You can always find hardship stories though because there are inevitably junior enlisted with four kids and a non-working spouse who are using WIC vouchers because they can't afford the food bills. Well, how many 22 year olds with three to four kids can afford to support their family on an entry level salary?

The one major criticism I have of the military pay system is the lack of matching contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan, something which civilians in the government enjoy but military does not. While TSP is better than nothing (like an IRA for those that aren't familiar), and the military does have a generous retirement plan, the lack of any matching funds is bothersome to me.

Incidentally, TSP does NOT have a 10% return on investment. You're thinking of the military savings account that you can invest in while deployed to a combat zone. I can't remember the exact name of that, but it's not the TSP.

One last comment: A straight comparison of salaries is inadequate when assessing the fairness of military pay, however. Very, very few civilian jobs require the kinds of sacrifices which most jobs in the military require. Early morning calls, 12-16 hour days during crises, intense local exercises, 90/120/180/365 day deployments to austere and/or combat environments, constant moving to different assignments, trips for training or exercises, exacting fitness and grooming standards, etc. I worked in a law office for awhile, and it's simply not comparable on most levels. But, I get so much more job satisfaction in the service that it sometimes feels like I shouldn't be paid for doing this stuff, and there are definite benefits that aren't available in civilian jobs.
Click to expand...


I'm not sure what you're talking about but the TSP has done better than 10% over its life. Also, I think its unfair to criticize the military not getting matching contributions. The civilian employees that get matching contributions get a lower pension than the employees that don't.
 
Originally posted by: tss4
Originally posted by: AndrewR
Originally posted by: Rogue
As a soldier myself (part time anyway), I would have to say, no. This may contrast sharply with many opinions here, however, I remember the days when my father was in the Army and we could barely get by. That was at almost 20 years in service as an E-7. Times have changed dramatically. I don't think you'll find many soldiers who say they want for much materialistically or financially to be honest. I work on an Army installation every day and I see thousands of late model cars with every amenity you can image affixed to them. I go in their houses and see big screen TVs and other "luxury" electronics all the time, things we could barely afford when my father was in the service. Soldiers today get paid very well.

Let's put it this way. When I was activated here stateside, I was bringing home over $1500 every two weeks. Most of that was NOT taxable at the end of the year (only $26,000.00 was taxable). Factor in other benefits (free college classes/exams, GI Bill of $1000/month, no taxes on goods purchased on post, tax breaks for deployment, 10% return on investment in Thrift Savings Plan in the course of a year up to $10,000.00, etc.) and soldiers have everything they could ever want and more. Should all of this diminsh the sacrifices they make? HELL NO! Make no mistake, however, a soldier wise with his money can become very rich off of their service if they choose. It's not uncommon for a soldier today to come back from Iraq with $10k or more in his checking account that usually goes toward purchasing a new car.
Click to expand...

I agree that military pay rates are adequate. You can always find hardship stories though because there are inevitably junior enlisted with four kids and a non-working spouse who are using WIC vouchers because they can't afford the food bills. Well, how many 22 year olds with three to four kids can afford to support their family on an entry level salary?

The one major criticism I have of the military pay system is the lack of matching contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan, something which civilians in the government enjoy but military does not. While TSP is better than nothing (like an IRA for those that aren't familiar), and the military does have a generous retirement plan, the lack of any matching funds is bothersome to me.

Incidentally, TSP does NOT have a 10% return on investment. You're thinking of the military savings account that you can invest in while deployed to a combat zone. I can't remember the exact name of that, but it's not the TSP.

One last comment: A straight comparison of salaries is inadequate when assessing the fairness of military pay, however. Very, very few civilian jobs require the kinds of sacrifices which most jobs in the military require. Early morning calls, 12-16 hour days during crises, intense local exercises, 90/120/180/365 day deployments to austere and/or combat environments, constant moving to different assignments, trips for training or exercises, exacting fitness and grooming standards, etc. I worked in a law office for awhile, and it's simply not comparable on most levels. But, I get so much more job satisfaction in the service that it sometimes feels like I shouldn't be paid for doing this stuff, and there are definite benefits that aren't available in civilian jobs.
Click to expand...


I'm not sure what you're talking about but the TSP has done better than 10% over its life. Also, I think its unfair to criticize the military not getting matching contributions. The civilian employees that get matching contributions get a lower pension than the employees that don't.
Click to expand...

Maybe we're talking about a different TSP. Here are the 10 year compound rates of return for the TSP from www.tsp.gov:

G Fund: 6.04% (Gov't Securities)
F Fund: 6.95% (Fixed Income Index)
C Fund: 10.99% (Common Stock Index)
S Fund: 9.70% (Small Cap Stock Index)
I Fund: 4.32% (International Stock Index)

The only one with no negative yearly results is the G Fund, with 2003's return of 4.11%. While the C Fund was 28% in 2003, it was NEGATIVE 22% in 2002. Here are the historical rates of return.

As for the lower pension, the matching contributions are provided earlier in the careers than the higher pension amounts, which may or may not be better given compound interest and prudent investment. I'd have to look at specific numbers to know.
 
This is a topic that has and will continue to be debated for years to come. If you ask a vet, they would reply that yes the military receives enough pay. Ask a politition or a general officer, they will reply in the same fashion.
Now ask an enlisted military member, who has children and a wife. They will tell you no way. Yes many like to figure in the fact that the service members get free houseing. This is true, however they take away the houseing allowance from the military member. Lets not over look the fact that if you are at the bottom of the food chain you get the least desired houseing. In many locations the junior military member will be assigned houseing that should be condemed. Take NC for example, houseing made in the 1940's still being used, lead in the water etc. New houseing is being built, but it will go to the senior military members first.
Lets put it this way I have been in for 20 years, I am stationed in California, I have three children. With the current pay scale we just received a pay raise and in addition we were also given an increase in our houseing allowance. Liveing in San Diego California I now receive $2003.00 a month for houseing.Effective Jan 1, all rental rates went up in San Diego area. The cost of liveing in San Diego area continues to increase. On average a three bedroom apartment in this area will run you $2300.00 a month.
Bottom line is if you are careful and live a simple life, watch your credit and manage your money you will do fine. Single income surely isn't the way to go in the military. As for if the general officers make enough, I would think that liveing in a castle, being paid $3000.00 or more a month, being driven everywhere without cost to them. Yes they earn enough money.........
this is only my .02 cents worth...
 
Lets put it this way I have been in for 20 years, I am stationed in California, I have three children. With the current pay scale we just received a pay raise and in addition we were also given an increase in our houseing allowance. Liveing in San Diego California I now receive $2003.00 a month for houseing.Effective Jan 1, all rental rates went up in San Diego area. The cost of liveing in San Diego area continues to increase. On average a three bedroom apartment in this area will run you $2300.00 a month.
Click to expand...
:Q:Q:Q

Yikes! I thought $600 per month in COLA payments during the mid-90s when the dollar was at record lows against the German Mark was a lot.
 
Originally posted by: burnedout
Lets put it this way I have been in for 20 years, I am stationed in California, I have three children. With the current pay scale we just received a pay raise and in addition we were also given an increase in our houseing allowance. Liveing in San Diego California I now receive $2003.00 a month for houseing.Effective Jan 1, all rental rates went up in San Diego area. The cost of liveing in San Diego area continues to increase. On average a three bedroom apartment in this area will run you $2300.00 a month.
Click to expand...
:Q:Q:Q

Yikes! I thought $600 per month in COLA payments during the mid-90s when the dollar was at record lows against the German Mark was a lot.
Click to expand...

I'm currently getting $1200/month here in Okinawa. Misawa is even higher.

Yen is 100 to the dollar. It was 140 when we arrived in 2002. 🙁
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top