BobRip
Elite Member
How can you ever pay soldiers enough to be away from home for a year, live in a desert environment in tents, eat MREs, and oh yeah risk their life every day. God bless them.
Military pay
- Thread starter J_J
- Start date
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mjarrels
Elite Member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
- Messages
- 3,152
- Location
- Virginia
- Tractor
- 1949 farmall, 1961 Fordson Dexta, 1986 Duetz Allis, 2001 Kubota.
Heck, I would have been happy to only be gone for a year. Three or four years was the normal. Did get to see the world about ten times over, did I mention, I got paid too. Dang Navy, they made me retire at 42.
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BobRip
Elite Member
Thank you for your service to our country.
phiferpharm
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2010
- Messages
- 1,081
- Location
- Fort McCoy, Florida
- Tractor
- Kioti DK45se HST - Rhino 660 4X4 - Snapper Pro ZTR - Craftsmen Chipper/Vac
Gotta say that I just retired after 39 years as a CW5 and the retirement pay makes me smile on the 31st 
.
.TRR
Gold Member
As for flight pay - I'm not sure how you got away with only 4 hours a month. I ended up averaging 10 hours per day, every day for 2 weeks in the early 70's. Then I got 3 days off and got to do it all over again. Different place every day makes for interesting travel, I got to see lots of southeast asia, a little of europe, and a little of the middle east. Pretty difficult maintaining a relationship at home when you're gone so much. But it is an interesting job and certainly gives one an understanding as to just how great this county is and how good americans really have it. But, yes flight pay and combat pay was nice although $60/month to get shot at seems a bit on the low side.
ayelvington
Gold Member
I'm a retired "Mustang" Lieutenant Commander with over 30 years, and I'm eternally grateful for the folks that fly me a check the first of each month.
I started out as an E-1 in 1977, and that $400/mo seemed pretty darn good. O-4 retired pay isn't bad either.
If you don't remember, basic pay is the only pay that's taxed. Allowances for housing (over $1000/mo in some places), food, uniforms, combat, and the like are NOT taxed.
The kicker with that is that retirement (about 50% of base pay for your highest paygrade) is really about 1/3 of what you were used to taking home.
I'm still adjusting!
Again, thank you for giving me the best career I could have ever imagined, and thank you for the retirement check in these difficult times.
Al Yelvington, USCG (retired)
I started out as an E-1 in 1977, and that $400/mo seemed pretty darn good. O-4 retired pay isn't bad either.
If you don't remember, basic pay is the only pay that's taxed. Allowances for housing (over $1000/mo in some places), food, uniforms, combat, and the like are NOT taxed.
The kicker with that is that retirement (about 50% of base pay for your highest paygrade) is really about 1/3 of what you were used to taking home.
I'm still adjusting!
Again, thank you for giving me the best career I could have ever imagined, and thank you for the retirement check in these difficult times.
Al Yelvington, USCG (retired)
DiverDarrell
Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2010
- Messages
- 35
E6 soon to be E7 active duty USCG BM here.
bradm64
Bronze Member
- Joined
- May 31, 2010
- Messages
- 96
- Location
- On Barkley Lake, Kentucky
- Tractor
- 5200 John Deere, ZD21 Kubota - sold and moved to the lake
To the retired veterans in this thread, and those on active duty, let me say a heart felt thank you for your service.
Badback
Member
In 1970, when I got out of the Army as an E6, I made $368/month. About what I get from SS in todays dollars (no rigorus calculations done, just an impression). So I have come full circle. I sure miss the days when buying a new PT would have been a minor purchase.
