Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Poll: Armed Forces paid enough, to much, could ues more?

Stop! I served in a comabt MOS, not as a network tech or a chaplians assistant. I put my life on the line and CHOSE to do it.

No one is forcing these young men and women into this job. This is something they do on there own. They know the pay, they know the risk, they understand the personal sacrifices going into the armed services.

Your personal experiences do not sound the best, but overall I rate mine as being really good with what the military had to offer. I left becuase I wanted more in life and the impending overseas tour to Korea scared the hell outta me.

I can not begin to name all the discounts I recieved while serving and what great buys I got from the PX, hell I even ordered stuff from the catalog until my final 8th year of IRR was up in 2000. Lets not forget the Commisary, which is beyond cheap compared to my Safeway

They recieve enough pay, and why they qualify for WIC? DUH! They get paid crap! oh yeah, but they don't have RENT, food, utilities, or healthcare factored into there pay. Us civilians do!

Actually, FMR12B, I threw that last line in just to see how you'd react. Sorry, that was me being a little evil with you.

I gathered from your other posts you had served, and that's great. However, I still disagree that pay is enough for the servicemembers.

4 day weekends? WTF are you talking about? (or smoking) So you expect us to put in mucho overtime and not be compensated at all for it? Good thing that we expect to do just that, too....

Oh, gas is maybe 1 - 3 cents cheaper/gal on base- wow, big savings there. A lot of the stuff that AAFES sells can be found cheaper online.

And you think that we should not be married or have kids just because we chose to serve our country? Hell, we give up enough of our liberties and rights when we swear in as it is. Some people have no clue.

Every Govt holiday was a 4-day weekend for those that had it off, Memorial, Labor Day, July 4th, Presidents Day, Xmas New Years, Veterans Day.......

I honestly thought the Marines had a policy where all soldiers had to be single in order to enlist, did it change or am I totally wrong? I know the service is not the best for those married and not a NCO pay wise, but I was told over and over again by my NCO's its the soldiers enlisted mans responsibility to take care of the family, and I agree!

Years ago things on base were much much cheaper, I guess with the internet prices can be found for less. Not while I was serving though. Good point.

Compensated, I guess not, I joined the civilian ranks and have put in an enormous amount of OT for my job. I get no compensation, nada, nothing!

I'm not complaining just saying they have a fair wage. My opinion

Let me tell you of just one of my sacrifices. I spent 6 months in 1997 in Germany in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. My oldest daughter was born while I was there. I didn't see her until she was almost 3 months old. What price (in compensation) would you put on that?

Yes, I knew what I was getting into. Been doing this since I was 17. Does that mean that I should have to suffer poverty conditions because I chose to answer the call to defend my country? How cruel are you?

Let me see here, the nearest BX/PX to my house is 2 1/2 hours away (Camp Lincoln, Springfield IL). It's about the size of a small delivery truck, and not at all worth the drive. The nearest real Bx/PX and Commisary is at Fort Knox, KY. That is about a 5 hour drive from where I live. I hope I don't have to do the math for you concerning all the savings I'm going to get by shopping on post. :rolleyes:

Because of my 6 months in GE, I have verteran status, and this qualify for free healthcare at a VA hospital. Want to guess how many hours away that is?

Yes, I am in the NG, but these are my benefits. However, they are useless to me if I do not have access to them. Now, want to guess how many other Reservists are in a similar situation?

Hell, I can't even use my educational benefits. I cannot quit my jobs to go to school(3 if you count the Guard), as my family would be out on the street, starving. That leaves some kind of on-line course. Problem is, those courses (from IL accredited institutions) are so few and far between that I have already taken everthing contained therein. IL Guard benefits state that they must be used at an IL institution. Now, if they would open it to institutions in other states (like American Military University), I could have had my Master's Degree in Criminal Justice by now. How stupid is that? I am prevented from attending a military-specific university because my state will not pay my benefits, that I earned, to that school because it is in Virginia and not IL. Again, another "perk" that is useless.

I don't think you have a clue.

You claim to be a 12B and you got 4 day weekends? lol, not in this Army. Maybe the paper pushers do, but not the field units. Try the MP Corps some time, and come back and tell me how many 4 day weekends you got, lol.

Damn, that's a fine point I didn't even think about. I was lucky enough to have served my overseas time before I met my wife, so I didn't have that problem. I knew several people that did, though. I can't imagine how ****ty that must feel.

Problem is, it's all too common in the military. It's just one of the reasons that the military has the highest divorce rates of any occupation. I remember seeing on CNN the other night where a Navy vessel returned to port after 6 1/2 months. I believe it was 60+ fathers that met their new children for the first time.

EDIT:

Oh, and I still have the news broadcast of our return in 1997. I think it was Channel 5 out of Chicago (we landed at O'Hare). I met my daughter for the first time, on live TV. Yeah, I remember. I'll never forget.

My final point, because I am tired of listening to this endless sob story of how bad it is when everyone who joins raises their right hand and volunteers .

I think they have a fair pay!

You don't, and others don't but I diasagree.



No amount of compensations could make up for you missing the birth of your child, I'm not gonna put a price on it and neither is the Govt. It's terrible, but it goes on everyday in the Armed Forces. Very very sad.

Wow - you really are a SOB. I hope your views bite you, specifically, in the ass someday.