# Is this story about the military paying in $2 bills true? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016 "2014-07-13T20:14:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/41 "2016-10-10T22:41:15Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > That’s time-consuming even with the cash containing $100-bills. Paying the entire company, battalion, what-have-you in $2-bills would take an incredible amount of time. You’re talking about an era when an EM’s weekly pay was probably $20. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/42 "2016-10-11T04:10:50Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > It sounds plausible because that has been used as a tactic by various companies, government entities and tourism bureaus to highlight the economic value that their presence brings to an area. > [snip] > Wikipedia mentions a similar tactic employed by tourism bureaus at various times. > > “Certain conventions and tourism/convention bureaus capitalize on the rarity of two dollar bills in circulation, encouraging convention attendees and tourists to spend two-dollar bills in order to illustrate to the host communities the economic impact that the conventions and tourism bring. Variously known as “SpendTom” campaigns, the two-dollar bills linger in the community as a constant reminder. Some campaigns encourage people to participate in a hunt for the two-dollar bills in order to win prizes.” > > [United States two-dollar bill - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_two-dollar_bill) I remember being at a large national convention in San Diego 22 years ago and getting a couple of two-dollar bills. I was relatively young and naive and thought “these might be fake, let me spend them right away!” :smack: When was the last time people here have seen a $2 bill? I see on the Wikipedia page that while $2 bills are currently circulating, they tend to be rare; I haven’t seen one in at least 10 years. OTOH I visit Canada frequently and the CDN $2 bills were common there until withdrawn from circulation; the replacement $2 coin is ubiquitous. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/43 "2016-10-11T06:54:32Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > When was the last time people here have seen a $2 bill? I have several in my wallet. There’s nothing special about them. Ask the teller at your bank if they have any you can buy. Chances are they do. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/44 "2016-10-11T12:00:05Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I can think of two off-hand. I’d be stunned if you haven’t a clue as to what those two are. > [@Namkcalb](#): > > Mountain rescue and the fire brigade? > [@Monty](#): > > The other one I was thinking of is the police. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > What about lifeboat people? Okay, but besides the military, mountain rescue, the fire department, the police, and the coast guard, what _other_ professions have sworn to sacrifice their lives to protect others? ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/45 "2016-10-11T15:55:39Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > When was the last time people here have seen a $2 bill? I have some in my desk drawer, and this thread is reminding me to get some at the bank over the next couple of months. I give away $2 bills at Christmas, both to family members and to the newspaper carrier, trash collector and others as tips. I figure that the bills are odd enough that the recipients will remember where they came from more than if I gave standard currency, but also very easy to spend compared to gift cards and the like. And, yes, I’m giving away more than one bill at a time. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/46 "2016-10-11T16:52:01Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > When did the supposed $2-bill payment event occur? The services went to mandatory direct deposit quite a while ago. On top of that, the logistics of paying the numbers of military personnel in just $2-bills would be prohibitive. > > That’s two reasons right off the bat for why I would class the story as UL. Well, my Dad use to line up and get his pay in cash. But yes, that was _some_ time ago, when privates earned $50/mo +/-so I dont think this is a UL so much as outdated. At least the payment in cash part, that was certainly common done for decades and longer. After allocations, a EM might get a pay envelope with 25 or so $2 bills. Could be done- _maybe_. Mind you, It also could have been just that a $56 pay envelope was 2 $20, a $10 and three $2, and still those $2 would flood the market. ---
**Author:** ![cascom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@cascom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cascom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/47 "2018-01-11T14:45:55Z")
You are forgetting that pay in the '50s was not as much as it is now. A private made $65. A Lt made $222.50 but normally used direct deposit. As a pay officer, I drew $40,000 for the entire company. I think Patton used the $2 bill in Ft Benning to prove a point to the local civilians. I believe it was mention in his book. ---
**Author:** ![cascom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@cascom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cascom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/48 "2018-01-11T15:22:30Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Hm, not offhand, but I can believe it. I know my Dad had various scrip from military pay parades in wartime from various duty stations [he did WW2, Korea and Vietnam.] > > I do know that once when he was at Fort Drum they asked everybody to not shop for a week at the local places to prove a point. This would have been in about 1957 or 8. > > Just spoke with my father in law [staff photographer Blue Angels back when they first moved them to winter in P’cola] and he said that they would pay out $2 bills once a year, or whenever the town would complain. Military script was used in Germany. Korea and Vietnam. Coins were too expensive to ship and the script could be declared worthless overnight. Only authorized personnel could exchange the worthless bills for the new version. All the vendors outside the wire were just out of luck. MASH even had an episode about it. ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/49 "2018-01-11T16:05:45Z")
When I was in grad school in a Boston suburb in the 50s, the possession of a $2 bill got the comment, So,you’ve been to the race track! Most cashiers don’t like and try to get them out of the cash register as soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/50 "2018-01-11T16:40:43Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > When did the supposed $2-bill payment event occur? The services went to mandatory direct deposit quite a while ago. On top of that, the logistics of paying the numbers of military personnel in just $2-bills would be prohibitive. In the OP, it says mid 50s. And I can say from personal experience I heard by the time I was a teen long before direct deposit was available. It wasn’t too unusual back in the day for workers to be paid in cash in many businesses. Have you ever seen old movies or TV shows when the robbers are grabbing some payroll? You don’t think they were after checks so much do you? I doubt very much the DOD ordered the $2 bills and distributed them. I’d assume each local base arranged for its own cash to pay to soldiers. That would be teh same process as a local factory. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/51 "2018-01-11T17:32:26Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > According to my father (who wasn’t good for much, but was right on a couple of things): The $2 bill was produced because of the popularity of the $2 bet at horse tracks. > Don’t know if he got that right or not - anybody else hear of this? (I realize this is an old post) I’ve mostly heard that $2 bills were considered unlucky and avoided at the track. [Snopes says the $2 bill is generally considered unlucky in the US.](https://www.snopes.com/business/money/twodollar.asp) They also mention a illogical concept that holding $2 bills was a sign someone had been at the track and been paid winnings in the bills, except of course winnings rarely amount to just $2. At the same time I’ve known people who considered a $2 bill lucky, but I think that was based on their rareness. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/52 "2018-01-11T23:30:36Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > I have some in my desk drawer, and this thread is reminding me to get some at the bank over the next couple of months. I give away $2 bills at Christmas, both to family members and to the newspaper carrier, trash collector and others as tips. I figure that the bills are odd enough that the recipients will remember where they came from more than if I gave standard currency, but also very easy to spend compared to gift cards and the like. And, yes, I’m giving away more than one bill at a time. I know someone that generally leaves one as part of the tip at restaurants for the same sort of reasons - people are likely to remember you if you do something unusual that helps them. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/53 "2018-01-16T20:39:13Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Okay, but besides the military, mountain rescue, the fire department, the police, and the coast guard, what _other_ professions have sworn to sacrifice their lives to protect others? Did the bloody Roman Army pay its men with $2 bills? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/54 "2018-01-16T20:43:41Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Did the bloody Roman Army pay its men with $2 bills? 2 oz. lumps of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/55 "2018-01-17T19:30:48Z")
Lovely people, the Romans. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/56 "2018-01-17T22:08:38Z")
I got paid in cash (Deutschmarks) on an exercise in Germany in the 1980s, but that’s was the only time I can recall it happening. Rest of the time it was deposited into your bank a/c. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/57 "2018-01-18T02:53:02Z")
> [@staballoy](#): > > Years ago, am old reprobate from the the Depression/WW2 era told me that $2 bills were the standard medium of exchange in whorehouses. You know I had an relative over 60 back in the 80s that used "2 dollar whore "(eg " hes about as intelligent as a 2$ whore ) as a regular insult …I wonder if that’s where he got it from … ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/58 "2018-01-18T03:09:29Z")
It sounds perfectly plausible to me when you look at the [pay rates from 1955-1957](https://www.navycs.com/charts/1955-military-pay-chart.html). An E-1 Private with under 2 years of service only made $83.20 per month. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for them to be paid in cash, either. Even if not, they could certainly cash their paycheck on the base. Four 20’s, a $2, a $1 and 2 dimes. Not difficult. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/59 "2018-01-18T05:39:35Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > I know someone that generally leaves one as part of the tip at restaurants for the same sort of reasons - people are likely to remember you if you do something unusual that helps them. My late friend Mike Darby always tipped with $2 bills. He said it made sure servers remembered him - to which I replied “Yeah. As in ‘that joker with the $2 bills is here again!’” ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016/60 "2018-01-18T17:18:45Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I was looking through my dad’s coin and currency collection with my mom. He had saved several $2 bills (consecutive years) from the mid 1950’s. > > My mom said it was from his military pay. The local town was bitching about the airmen in their midst. To make a point, the base started paying the men in $2 bills. Within days that whole town was covered up in two dollar bills. Every merchant had them in their cash register. Very obvious, because cash drawers don’t have a slot for $2 bills. They must have done it for several years because dad had save a bill from each year. It was a reminder of what they base did for the local economy. > > This was probably at Eaker Air Force Base (Blytheville, AR) when I was a baby. Or maybe NAS Pensacola when they were dating and first married. He switched from the Navy to the Air Force when mom was pregnant with me. > > Any way to confirm this story? Old post and OP, but a cool story. I hope the town realized how much they were supported by their USAF guests. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-story-about-the-military-paying-in-2-bills-true/693016.md?page=4)