Posted on 07/03/2012 7:22:45 AM PDT by Wuli
As private sector salaries flattened over the last decade, military pay climbed steadily, enough so that by 2009 pay and allowances for enlisted members exceeded the pay of 90 percent of private sector workers of similar age and education level.
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The military gained its lead with annual raises from 2000 to 2010 that exceeded private sector wage growth and some extra increases in housing allowances to eliminate average out-of-pocket rental costs. Meanwhile, civilian pay growth stalled as markets collapsed and jobs disappeared.
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By 2009, the report says, average RMC for enlisted exceeded the median wage for civilians in each comparison group -- high school diploma, some college and two-year degrees. Average RMC was $50,747 or "about $21,800 more than the median earnings for civilians from the combined comparison groups."
For officers, average RMC was $94,735 in 2009. That was "88 percent higher than earnings of civilians with bachelor's degrees, and 47 percent higher than earnings of those with graduate-level degrees," the report says.
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Marine Staff Sgt. Andrew Gallagher, 29, doesn't believe pay comparisons using only age and education level, even with associate's degree earners tossed in the mix, is fair to career enlisted.
Gallagher will pass the 12-year mark in the Corps this November. He has served three tours in Iraq, the second shortened by wounds suffered in an IED attack. His total pay, before taxes and including BAH and BAS, is about $58,000 a year at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
You can also read the full "11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation report
at: http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2012/06/report-calls-for-big-changes-in-military-pay/
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
I think only 16% of Army personnel are “combat” with the rest being support. There certainly never seems to be an end to REMFs.
Propaganda is the Left’s bread and butter. They don’t even need facts or reality for that matter.
Using an E-6 with time in grade of $58,000 with BAH and BAS (gross), let's see what the hourly pay is: $58,000/24/365 = $6.62 per hour. That's 87% of minimum wage.
Plus, you have the added bonus of getting shot at, and bombed...not to mention disease, stress, and various other sh@t.
Ok, the G.I. bill kinda makes up for that...
5.56mm
They earn every penny they make and no one should be envious of them
Gaffer,
Right. If I recall correctly, in 1966 I got $92 a month in basic training, minus haircuts, and the Army, unlike the other branches, still only paid once a month. I got out after three years as an E-5, married, over two and was taking home about $350. It wasn’t easy getting by.
Not to mention, the cash is directly deposited, vice being given a “voucher” that you might be able to cash in after returning from the hot theater.
With all things said,...I still prefer the cash paycheck given by the pay officer,...(though it sure looked tempting driving by all those Porsche 911s to Atsugi from Fuji twice a month with a .45 on the hip and 2 satchels of cash on board....7;^)
PS,..what’s a civiliam?
My active duty husband has gotten up MOST days, for the past 26 years, around 5 a.m. His days have usually ended, on MOST days, around 7 p.m.
Some jobs he’s worked 6 days a week, with this schedule.
Not to mention, deployments.
When you break it down by an hourly amount, it’s pathetic.
My husband is an officer, and is compensated well, but folks our age who didn’t serve, who went to college, are now at the top of their game — well, some are making several hundred thousand per year or more. Some are millionaires and VP’s, presidents of companies, business owners, etc. doing extremely well.
My husband likes to think he could have been all of these things — and the level of responsibility he’s had in some jobs rivaled many a CEO — but he barely tops $150K at the end of a 26-year career.
It sounds like a lot, but it’s really not — not for what he’s put into it. However, he’d gladly do it again, I’m sure. He’ll get a nice retirement, in increments, but guys like Obama are going to see to it that all of that is eroded, piece by piece.
That puts it in perspective.
Let’s be honest - a good percentage of junior military members are in financial trouble due to bad decisions i.e. idiotic car loans, spending more than they take in.
Let’s outsource it. Cheap labor solves everything. /sarc
As well as I can recall my starting pay was $69.00 a month and went to $79. after boot camp, six months later it went up to about $86. a month and $103. a year after boot camp. I served a three year hitch and got my honorable as an E-4 with more than two years service which was worth a whopping $182. a month. Actually that $182 was pretty good considering I got three meals a day and a place to flop and free medical and dental care. Believe it or not while at sea on the Saratoga I could have bought a new Rolex from “sea stores” once a month if I had been inclined.
“An new E1 makes $1,516 per month. Of course for most of them they are making combat pay of a couple hundred.”
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That is 22 times what I made as an E1, in nominal terms of course, adjusted for inflation it may be nearly twice as much. Unless something has changed a lot since then NO ONE is getting combat pay as an E1. That is a boot camp pay grade and you automatically advance to E-2 upon graduation from boot camp. It may be possible to get “busted” to E-1 later, I’m not really sure but you can’t get out of boot camp as an E-1 unless something has been changed since 1962.
A lot has changed since 1962. First of all not all services promote at the end of basic training. I think I waited 4 - 6 months to get e2.
The lower ranks get screwed especially in the Air Force where promotion is so slow. The higher ranks can do pretty well, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
When I enlisted E-1 was a boot camp pay grade, you automatically advanced to E-2 after finishing boot camp and 6 months later you took a simple test and were expected to pass it and advance to E-3. E-4 required testing in a military specialty if you were Navy, mine was electronics. In those days you could text for E-4 after one year as an E-3 so most of us made E-4 a year and a half out of boot camp which meant about 21 months after enlistment. I only served a three year hitch but many of those in Navy electronics who served the four year hitch made E-5 before four years were out.
The difference is that the E-1 can literally live without spending more than ten dollars or so a week if he wants to. That pay grade is only during boot camp which is maybe three months. If he really wants to he could leave boot camp with three or four thousand dollars saved up. Not that I would advise any young person to enlist now, I think the military has been ruined.
Good money when you are young,decent environment and great benefits.Not so good when you get older.
I did six years with the Army national guard including 6 months of training for Iraq and 2 tours in Iraq.Goddamn it was interesting but not something for which I’d reenlist.
Oh and you can lose your life,limbs or sanity.But given the way civilian life is working out in the US,that is not that big a gap.
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