Poll of the Day > Did you know that people in the MILITARY get paid CRAP!!???

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's true. according to statistics, all those high schoolers who join right into the military will learn the hard truth that they get paid diddle..even worse, they get paid LESS than what grocery clerks make a year!!!

the only benefit they see is that they are "taken care of" and get "free college"..but you're also risking your life at the same time!!.

did you know this?

http://cronkitehhh.jmc.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/winnie-the-pooh-money.png
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I was in for 5 years. The pay really isnt bad for the job.

They get housing and meals, which makes up a substantial amount of what civvies wind up spending their paychecks on. They also healthcare while serving and then through the VA afterward. That's in addition to tuition reimbursement.

Not to mention that there *are* high-paying jobs in the military.

mrduckbear posted...

even worse, they get paid LESS than what grocery clerks make a year!!!

Untrue in many cases, considering that grocery clerks often can't get full-time hours, are paid minimum wage, and have to handle more of their expenses by themselves. Just googling the numbers here, an enlisted soldier seems to make $2,139/month for their first year which works out to $25,668/year. Minimum wage in the US is $7.25 so if a clerk was working a full 40 per week that would only work out to around $15k/year. As such, the soldiers make MORE than a grocery clerk at that same level.

And even if it was in a state with a $10 minimum wage, that *still* works out to less. And that's not counting the cost of health care.

mrduckbear posted...

but you're also risking your life at the same time!!.

They have non-combat roles as well
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Didn't something like 33 US service personnel die in war zones around the world in 2017, which would be about 0.002% of the total on active service? It sounds to me like you'd have a pretty good chance of making it out alive.

Zeus posted...

an enlisted soldier seems to make $2,139/month for their first year

$1,638.30*. It's dependent on what rank you come in at, but for an E-4's pay (which you listed) you're going to need a college degree already.

You also still pay for your healthcare, it's not free, and tuition reimbursement doesn't really matter if your command doesnt let you take classes.

The pay really isn't that bad, you can't just look at base pay. The housing allowance, since it's tax free, can even end up being higher than the base pay.

Also, just being in the military and getting a security clearance from it can open up a lot of high paying jobs in "ye olde military-industrial complex" after you leave the military. Background checks on someone who's never had a clearance are really expensive.

Yeah, if you are given food+housing that is a huge chunk of expense that almost every other job requires the employee to pay.
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http://cronkitehhh.jmc.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/winnie-the-pooh-money.png

What are the actual numbers and do they get retirement pension?
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Lokarin posted...

What are the actual numbers and do they get retirement pension?

Its all online, just google US military pay grades or BAH by pay grade for the housing allowance. You only get a housing allowance if youre married or have custody of a kid, generally.

You used to get a pension at 20 years (sometimes theyll let you do early retirement at 15). When I was getting out they were slowly switching over to some sort of 401k contribution match similar to civilian companies since there were literally guys that could milk a pension for twice the amount of time they actually served.

Most people who voluntarily join the US military to be thugs who bully, pillage, and murder innocents in poor countries get paid very little? It's almost like they recruit the losers who couldn't make it mainstream society to do their dirty work.
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JanwayDaahl posted...

Most people who voluntarily join the US military to be thugs who bully, pillage, and murder innocents in poor countries get paid very little? It's almost like they recruit the losers who couldn't make it mainstream society to do their dirty work.

thats fucking stupid only politicians do that

and you can retire after being in the military for 10-15 years if you get a high enough paying job

CacciatoPart3 posted...

Lokarin posted...

What are the actual numbers and do they get retirement pension?

Its all online, just google US military pay grades or BAH by pay grade for the housing allowance. You only get a housing allowance if youre married or have custody of a kid, generally.

You used to get a pension at 20 years (sometimes theyll let you do early retirement at 15). When I was getting out they were slowly switching over to some sort of 401k contribution match similar to civilian companies since there were literally guys that could milk a pension for twice the amount of time they actually served.

Sure, I could easily google it - but duckbeer was required to provide this info
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CacciatoPart3 posted...

You only get a housing allowance if youre married or have custody of a kid, generally.

I don't know if it's different because of our branches, but that's not quite how it was in the Air Force. As long as you are not living in the dorms, you get BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) and BAS (Basic Allowance for Substances). And the amount you got was based on where you lived. You would get different amounts depending on the state. So, since I was in Texas, it was a lower amount than most places. Had I been able to move home to Maryland, it would have been much more. California is pretty insane, too...

I'm not sure about healthcare, though. It's true that it might not be free, but it's also not enough to really notice it if it is on the paycheck. The only time I really know you're paying for it is when you got Reserves(and probably Guard).

TA (Tuition Assistance) is helpful if you can take classes. But it is possible to fail a class. And then you would have to pay it back...

You can also get a lot of time of while still getting paid. I think it was like 2.5 days a month you could save up. And the max amount changes (usually 60, but went o 75 once), and the 'use or lose' amounts only occur around the Fiscal year end. Not only that, but if you have 'use or lose' and have been trying to use it, but couldn't, you actually get to keep those extra days. But they'll usually do what they can to help you take it, depending on your shop. I use to try to go home for like a month at a time most of the time...
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Yeah, after generally I almost gave an AF example but I wouldve had to follow it up with a derogatory remark about the branch lol. I know you guys got BAH pretty quickly, or at least my ex girlfriend did at Dover. And I know the Navy gets it relatively quick, I had an E-5 roommate when I was in college because they made her get a place. For the Army, you either get married/have a kid or have to make E-6 which is a 4 year minimum if you fast track. I think the Marine Corps is close to that, but probably longer to make SSG.

You can check your LES for your healthcare deduction. It depends on what you consider worthwhile.

Free college, Healthcare, dental, housing, food and discounts all says they get it pretty good. Sure they deploy, but it's not bad at all unless we're at war and even then the pay goes up.

They have great retirement benefits and yeah they get paid pretty good for straight out of high school when you factor in the benefits. Long term the pay goes up too along with the option to use your job experience in the real world if you ever get out.
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I have a coworker who worked as a recruiter for the US military and he said he could've stuck around with the job and got paid 140k a year but he took a warehouse job with us instead cause it relates to his hobby that he was more passionate about. And that was years ago probably a decade or so ago.

CacciatoPart3 posted...

Zeus posted...

an enlisted soldier seems to make $2,139/month for their first year

$1,638.30*. It's dependent on what rank you come in at, but for an E-4's pay (which you listed) you're going to need a college degree already.

You also still pay for your healthcare, it's not free, and tuition reimbursement doesn't really matter if your command doesnt let you take classes.

They still make more than the grocery clerks at least.

JanwayDaahl posted...

Most people who voluntarily join the US military to be thugs who bully, pillage, and murder innocents in poor countries get paid very little? It's almost like they recruit the losers who couldn't make it mainstream society to do their dirty work.

Lol.
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Revelation34 posted...

They still make more than the grocery clerks at least.

And don't even get me started on the errand boys.
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So mrduckbear has no idea what he's talking about? I'm shocked!
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UK soldiers get paid well with yearly wage increases.
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mrduckbear posted...

Did you know that you get paid diddle if you joined the military?

Being as the point in being in the military is to serve your country and you spend most of your time being provided for by them it shouldn't be a shock.
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Firewerx posted...

It sounds to me like you'd have a pretty good chance of making it out alive.

unless, of course, war were declared...
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TC is such a fucking idiot

Sahuagin posted...

Firewerx posted...

It sounds to me like you'd have a pretty good chance of making it out alive.

unless, of course, war were declared...

With who? Another first world country? Hahahahahaha! Get real, kinetic warfare against another country will never happen again. The future of "combat" lies in cyberspace, the economy, and proxy forces in two regions that guess what, world leaders couldn't care less about.

GanglyKhan posted...

Sahuagin posted...

Firewerx posted...

It sounds to me like you'd have a pretty good chance of making it out alive.

unless, of course, war were declared...

With who? Another first world country? Hahahahahaha! Get real, kinetic warfare against another country will never happen again. The future of "combat" lies in cyberspace, the economy, and proxy forces in two regions that guess what, world leaders couldn't care less about.

Well that's just not true. You know what shuts down servers real quick? Artillery.
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mrduckbear posted...

according to statistics

What statistics?

WastelandCowboy posted...

mrduckbear posted...

according to statistics

What statistics?

Probably the ones he made up...
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Well that's just not true. You know what shuts down servers real quick? Artillery.

Good luck getting artillery on American land.
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Lol they are already overpaid.
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Sahuagin posted...

Firewerx posted...

It sounds to me like you'd have a pretty good chance of making it out alive.

unless, of course, war were declared...

Depends on the branch of service. Army & Marines require a large support staff (supplies, kitchens, hospitals, etc), so there's only a small chance you'll see combat. (My grandfather was a Marine and was part of the landing at Inchon during Korea, but he was in the H&S Battalion so he never saw combat.). Navy is extremely safe as battles involving ships have been virtually unheard of since WWII, and except for combat air crew, most Air Force personal spend all their time at air bases well behind the lines.

RoboXgp89 posted...

JanwayDaahl posted...

Most people who voluntarily join the US military to be thugs who bully, pillage, and murder innocents in poor countries get paid very little? It's almost like they recruit the losers who couldn't make it mainstream society to do their dirty work.

thats fucking stupid only politicians do that

and you can retire after being in the military for 10-15 years if you get a high enough paying job

No. Politicians order it, but they're the thugs who are the boots on the ground to enforce these sorts of edicts. Change comes from the bottom-up, and everyone who volunteered to be in the US military has blood on their hands.
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JanwayDaahl posted...

RoboXgp89 posted...

JanwayDaahl posted...

Most people who voluntarily join the US military to be thugs who bully, pillage, and murder innocents in poor countries get paid very little? It's almost like they recruit the losers who couldn't make it mainstream society to do their dirty work.

thats fucking stupid only politicians do that

and you can retire after being in the military for 10-15 years if you get a high enough paying job

No. Politicians order it, but they're the thugs who are the boots on the ground to enforce these sorts of edicts. Change comes from the bottom-up, and everyone who volunteered to be in the US military has blood on their hands.

Lol