Our dear President wants at least $ 76 Billion dollars. To me, I automatically double that amount in my head. He just doesn’t have the stones to ask for it all at once.
How much of that money is actually paid to the soldiers who are actively fighting there?
That is to say, what is a Marine paid a month? A Navy enlisted person, an Army enlisted person, an Air Force enlisted person? Officers? Of all of the cash that the United States is going to hemorrage on behalf of this little excercise, what of it goes to feed the families of those who are placing their lives on the line?
The monthly pay depends on the rank of those involved, enlisted or officer.
http://www.dfas.mil/money/milpay/pay/ <- This site links to a .pdf with a list of pay grades, sadly though I can’t help you decipher what exactly a E-5 translate into for the rest of us. And this applies to everyone; the military uses the same pay scale for all services.
Yeah, all the services use the same pay table. When I get activated in the reserves, as an E-5, I’ll be making about 3K a month (including basic pay, housing allowance, and some other allowances). Also, I have life insurance through the government for 250K. And, I bet most of the service members over there have that amount as well (highest amount available throught the gov insurance plan.)
If I was a 2nd LT, O-2, you can see from the link above that the basic pay starts out a bit over what I will make in a month, then add on about grand for all the allowances.
To answer Dravin’s question about what it translates into as to a comparable civilian job, as an E-5, I’m around the lower middle management.
This could clear a little bit up: All non-NCO’s (usually E-1-E-3) don’t have much responsiblity. The NCO’s are the supervisers: E-4-E-7 have increasing levels of responsiblity, from say shift supervisors to maybe the store manager. E-8-9 are the regional managers. The officers are all the executives. Their levels of responsiblity increase with moe rank. 2nd LTs run this or that, but the Generals are like the VP’s right under the Secretary of Defense.
Oh, Sorry that’s not what I meant, I was talking what pay scale matches which rank, it differs per the services of course. I was talking E-1 is a Private (I think), E-2 Private First Class (again I think) and on up the scale as such.
The comparison you gave is handy way to look at things as well though.
No, we’re here. More than I can say for some people if they keep it up.
The General Answer to your question is, “the administration hasn’t broken that figure out yet, but not much.”
The reason is that the ground forces’ regular pay is included in the regular military budget. The $62.6 B supplementary request pays only for combat pay and perhaps some reservist pay.
My BAH is over $850 per month. That’s where the difference in pay comes in, I’m sure. Using the tables from the DFAS link above, my gross pay will be $3145.
Thank you for the links, I’d truly no idea that the pay scale was this harsh. How does one make it? I mean, maybe if you are a single person living in a small apartment you can, but…ouch. It’s kind of unclear- how hard is it to save money by living on a base, opposed to off-base living in the private sector? Is there a dearth of housing on-base for most locations, are most members forced to rent off-base and pay through the nose?
It seems to me that there would be serious discounts for Miltary Personnel. I have a close friend who retired as a Staff Sgt.Major after 30 years in the US Army. He mentioned to me that the myth of ‘Military Discounts’ is only really found on a consistent basis, in his lengthy experience, right NEAR a base. Considering the sacrifices made, one would think there would be a more broad-based policy on Military Personnel Discounts for housing, etc.
TBone2, you quoted three parts with dots in between. In deference to Manhatten’s hint, I hereby apologize for the first and third fragment you quoted. However, it is not in any way inflammatory to say that most if not all government projects run over budget. Even with this one price tag quote, the officials I hear on NPR are saying, ’ Initial costs, if the war runs longer, follow-up and Post-War costs unsure…’ Is it really necessary for me to find a few dozen cites showing that an initial price tag for a specific project ran over budget, and was paid for by additional Legislature from the U.S. Congress ??? Surely you cannot doubt the veracity of that part of my post.
I won’t apologize for something we are all hearing many times a day. However, the snide shots weren’t appropriate for G.Q. and I apologize for 'em.
These guys and gals aren’t doing it to become rich. I’m sure you’ve heard stories of military families on Food Stamps. There are attempts to make that better, but I don’t know how effective they have been.
FWIW, I double that amount, too, because there are Politicians involved.
Military operations: $44bn
Call up of reserves: $10bn
Munitions: $6.5bn
Reconstruction: $1.7bn
Humanitarian aid: $500m
FBI: $500m
Coast Guard: $1.5bn
Afghanistan aid: $400m
Aid to Israel: $10bn
Aid to Jordan, Egypt: $1bn each
source: OMB, Congress
The request is based on the war lasting 30 days, and includes $500m in humanitarian aid, $1.7bn to rebuild Iraq, and $500m for the FBI to fight terrorism at home, as part of a $4.2bn appropriation for home security.
above are quotes from this site:
As an aside, in comparison to Seldon and WillSantini, I’m and active Army E-4 with 3 years under my belt and BAH for my family - I pulled in less than $18,000 last year after taxes, and make about $1,800 a month currently.
I am supporting a child, a wife in full-time college two cars and a dog. If the Army didn’t pay for my house on post I have no idea how I would make it.
For those who are over there right now, also take into account additions to their basic pay that aren’t usually mentioned:
Airborne/Air Assault qualified folks get additional pay (about $100 + each month) just because of that qualification. Since a lot of the people over there now are in the 101st, they are all qualified such.
While they don’t really get “hazerdous duty” pay, as they are soldiers and are expected to fight to begin with, they do get bonus deployment pay, which I understand is substantial.
Also, quite a few people have re-upped recently, and that also brings a bonus (usually) though there have been cuts to that recently with the current econemic situation.
Just a couple of corrections. An E-1 in the Navy gets the exact base of an E-1 in the Army etc. There are a number of other pays that military members get, including a food allowance and housing allowance . Some do get bonuses for flying, diving, - usually in the $100-$150 range.
ALL IN THEATRE do get hazardous duty pay of $150 per month. When all is said and done, an average E-3 (in the military for about 2 years) makes about $25,000 a year. Not a lot of cash to pay someone who might get killed so that some can protest in the streets between lattes and art appreciation class.
I’ve been out for a lot of years, but I think my answers are still valid. When I reported to my first duty station, we were all required to live on base, but as more people arrived and rooms became filled, those with seniority who wished could get an apartment in town and apply for housing and subsistance allowances. I was senior enough that I got out in about 4 months. I found a cheap place and did OK.
For some, living in barracks is unbearable, so they try to get roommates and live in town, but they are still required to maintain their barracks rooms and were subject to room inspections(as far as I am aware). On many of the bases where I was stationed, base housing for married personnel generally had a long waiting list. Even with housing allowances, it was difficult to find nice housing offbase that was affordable. Many spouses had to work, and I know many sailors took second jobs. Junior enlisted folks, especially when married with young kids, more often than not face major financial struggles. Add to that the less-than-well-thought purchases by 18-19 year olds out on their own for the first time signing financing contracts for obscene rates of interest and ludicrous terms… well, suffice it to say, they’re not rolling in dough.
I don’t think I ever met anyone who joined for financial gain. It’s definitely not a get-rich-quick career.
I was married to the military for 15 years and no - discounts make me laugh. IT’s usually something like 10% of his meal alone (maybe $1.50) or $2.00 off of an item that costs more than $100
Generally from what I have seen during a time of crisis (say 9/11) everyone wants to be supportive and afterward they are wondering why those bastards need a pay raise - forget that that they make about half of what private sector employees doing the same thing would do, are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year, get deployed to the worst and most dangerous places around the world, put their life on the line so that those protesters can drink their latte, and are seperated from their families about 1/3 of their entire married lives. I think most people would be surprised how little they make.
I heard on CNN the other day a commentary talking about military pay and some bozo said “Well it might seem like low pay but you have to factor in free housing and food” So what about people with families? Or are they all supposed to spend 20 years living in the dorms…how ridiculous.
I was married to the military for 15 years and no - discounts make me laugh. IT’s usually something like 10% of his meal alone (maybe $1.50) or $2.00 off of an item that costs more than $100
Generally from what I have seen during a time of crisis (say 9/11) everyone wants to be supportive and afterward they are wondering why those bastards need a pay raise - forget that that they make about half of what private sector employees doing the same thing would do, are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year, get deployed to the worst and most dangerous places around the world, put their life on the line so that those protesters can drink their latte, and are seperated from their families about 1/3 of their entire married lives. I think most people would be surprised how little they make.
I heard on CNN the other day a commentary talking about military pay and some bozo said “Well it might seem like low pay but you have to factor in free housing and food” So what about people with families? Or are they all supposed to spend 20 years living in the dorms…how ridiculous.
Everyone here has the right attitude, PAY US MORE!!
That said, I would like to add my own story of military woe. BAH (housing allowance) for my area seems kinda high, $850 per month. However, the median home price is around $185,000 which prices us out of the market (even without the military pay that I’ll make once I get activated from the reserves–I’m a college student).
Also, the being away from the family sucks. We have two little ones. My husband has left twice for 6 months each, I’m about to leave for 2 years. When I return around our 6 year anniversary, we will have been apart for 3 of those years. No amount of pay will ever make up my missing teaching my kids to read, teaching my kids music (two things I’ve looked forward to since they were born.) I’ll miss both of their first day of kindergarten, it goes on and on.
But, I did take an oath to honor and protect the country, and I will do so.
Seldon, I have enormous respect and gratitude for the committment you and your hubby have made. It is clear that the pay and the risk are so atrociously OFF balance, as to be a source of national shame.