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reb
04-03-2009, 07:28 AM
first, the snopes 'correction' so the wrong Cindy Williams does not get blamed for this (do not stop at 'false' or you will be uninformed):

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then the email:

Subject: Military Pay (A must read)

Please send this to everyone on your address list......I thank you for that!! It is a MUST read!!

Thanks for sending this Jim...I just sent it to fifty (50) people and I sure hope they send it on as well. I think someone dropped Cindy Williams on her head and she has permanent damage.


This is an Airman's response to Cindy Williams' editorial piece in the
Washington Times about MILITARY PAY, it should be printed in all newspapers
across America........I agree one-hundred (100) percent!!!!!

On Nov. 12, Ms Cindy Williams (edited here to protect the innocent) wrote a
piece for the Washington Times, denouncing the pay raise(s) coming service
members' way this year -- citing that the stated 13% wage increase was more
than they deserve.

A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article below.
He ought to get a bonus for this. Yes, I agree with this as well!!!

"Ms Williams":

I just had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our GIs earn enough" and I
am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where this vaunted overpayment is
going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears every month between DFAS
(The Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and my bank account.

Checking my latest earnings statement I see that I make $1,117.80 before
taxes. After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through the
calculator, I come up with an annual salary of $13,413.60 before taxes, and
$10,490.40, after.

I work in the Air Force Network Control Center where I am part of the team
responsible for a 5,000 host computer network I am involved with
infrastructure segments, specifically with Cisco Systems equipment. A quick
check under jobs for Network Technicians in the Washington , D.C. area
reveals a position in my career field, requiring three years experience with
my job. Amazingly, this job does NOT pay $13,413..60 a year. No, this job is
being offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum. I'm sure you can draw the
obvious conclusions.

Given the tenor of your column, I would assume that you NEVER had the
pleasure of serving your country in her armed forces Before you take it upon
yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership for
attempting to get the families in the military's lowest pay brackets off of
WIC and food stamps, I suggest that you join a group of deploying soldiers
headed for AFGHANISTAN; I leave the choice of service branch up to you.

Whatever choice you make, though, opt for the SIX month rotation: it will
guarantee you the longest possible time away from your family and friends,
thus giving you full deployment
experience." As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure to note
the spouses and children who are saying good-bye to their loved ones. Also
take care to note that several families
are still unsure of how they'll be able to make ends meet while the primary
breadwinner is gone obviously they've been squandering the "vast" piles of
cash the government has been giving them.

Try to deploy over a major holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are perennial
favorites. And when you're actually over there, sitting in a foxhole,
shivering against the cold desert night; and the flight sergeant tells you
that there aren't enough people on shift to relieve you for chow, remember
this: trade whatever MRE (meal-ready- to-eat) you manage to get for the tuna
noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything. This
gives some flavor.

Talk to your loved ones as often as you are permitted; it won't nearly be
long enough or often enough, but take what you can get and be thankful for
it. You may have picked up on the fact that, I disagree with most of the
points you present in your opened piece.

But, I will defend to the death your right to say it.
You see, I am an American fighting man, a guarantor of your First Amendment
rights and every other right you cherish. On a daily basis, my brother and
sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people like you can thumb your
collective nose at us, all on a salary that is nothing short of pitiful and
under conditions that would make most people cringe.

We hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private sector because we
can't offer the stability and pay of civilian companies.

And you, Ms. Williams, have the gall to say that we make more than we
deserve? Rubbish!"

A1C Michael Bragg Hill AFB AFNCC

Farmer Joe
04-03-2009, 10:21 AM
While I was deployed I made about $30,000 in 15 months. It was enough to get by and earn some saving, mostly because my wife was working full time and I didn't have any children. While that may seem like descent money, let's imagine what I would have made working the same amount of time as a cashier at COSTCO earning $10 an hour...

Let's say I worked an average of 12 hours a day, which is like likely an understatement, 7 days a week. That would be 84 hours a week. Of course I would get over time for the hours worked over 40, so we can push the number of hours worked per week up to 106 (or time and a half for 44 of the hours). I was deployed for 15 months (72 weeks), but we can generously take away a month for the few weeks I spent on leave ( now 68 weeks). So...

106 hours a week x 68 weeks x $10 = $72080

I could have more than doubled my income by working as hard at checking customers out, and I could have slept on a nice bed at the end of the day too. Plus, COSTCO offers benefits. Granted, I doubt I could find any $10 an hour job that would let me work that much, but that really shows how under paid we are for the amount of work we do.

I really can't emphasize this enough. $30,000 dollars for serving my country and living one step away from death - $72,080 by earning $10 an hour as a cashier.

maxpot46
04-03-2009, 11:07 AM
I'm also ex-military, but I don't agree. Firstly, base pay is just that -- base. Once you throw in hazardous duty pay, overseas deployment pay, marriage bonus, signing bonuses, G.I. Bill and other veterans benefits, and a plethora of other payments the income numbers are higher. Secondly, you have to take into account that in the military, paychecks are spending money. The military pays for room and board, medical care, education, travel (e.g. free MAC flights), and other expenses. Thirdly, the market should set the wage so they should only increase pay if they need to increase recruiting effectiveness. I always hate to see these emotional arguments tugging on patriotic heartstrings to justify more pay for "our troops" -- they signed on voluntarily and deserve nothing more than they agreed to take.

ClydeB
04-03-2009, 01:26 PM
All good points. And I do not disagree with them. Just add one thing. Today in the U.S. we enjoy an all volunteer force. When there were no large conflicts going on. Its one thing to get free room and board plus all the other perks and have some spending money in your pocket. All to sit somewhere and do a job. And thats exactly what I did back in 1988 when I joined the US Air Force.

It's an entirely different situation to know that to get those exact same perks (at least in the short term) today you may have to go to some foreign country and fight with the local indigenous population and possibly get killed. Or be a civilian.

If the pay isn't there. I personally would not sign on the dotted line knowing what I know.

RBM
04-05-2009, 04:07 PM
I'm also ex-military, but I don't agree. Firstly, base pay is just that -- base. Once you throw in hazardous duty pay, overseas deployment pay, marriage bonus, signing bonuses, G.I. Bill and other veterans benefits, and a plethora of other payments the income numbers are higher. Secondly, you have to take into account that in the military, paychecks are spending money. The military pays for room and board, medical care, education, travel (e.g. free MAC flights), and other expenses. Thirdly, the market should set the wage so they should only increase pay if they need to increase recruiting effectiveness. I always hate to see these emotional arguments tugging on patriotic heartstrings to justify more pay for "our troops" -- they signed on voluntarily and deserve nothing more than they agreed to take.

How is education payed for ?

You reference to MAC flights, is playing loose with facts and definition of travel.

maxpot46
04-05-2009, 09:48 PM
How is education payed for ?Training, for one (I was a Data Systems Technician, for example, and went to advanced electronics school for 2 years on the taxpayers dime). Free college classes, for another -- some of my shipmates got associate degrees at no charge.You reference to MAC flights, is playing loose with facts and definition of travel.How so? I flew all over the place for free, via MAC flights. Even aside from MAC flights, I've been to many countries just from being on WESTPACs and forward deployed.