well thats quite interesting.

Im not familiar with military methods, especially american military methods ( Im Canadian )

And a another thing, though it is just off topic, how much do they pay the soldiers? I heard theyre paid pretty poorly.

CATFISH

I'm sure that's very inciteful Delta, but I don't understand that graph. What does the vertical colum stand for? The symbols?

Well you have enlisted and officer pay. Enlisted is basically no college straight out of school type people. If you have 4 years of college or go to rotc you can become an officer. This affects all your pay. So you have pay grades E-1 to E-9 for enlisted and 0-1 to 0-9 for commisioned officers. The top column is years of service. That affects your pay amount.

Generally you will receive 3 types of pay:
Base pay
Bas (Food Money)
Bah (rent Money) Varies by zip code.
(other pays come along with hazardous duties)

I am an e-4 with 3 years in the army and I generally make 1,300 dollars every 2 weeks. Not bad considering you get 100 percent free medical care for you and all your family. My wife and I had 2 children both c-sections in 2 years and we payed nothing. I also have 2 hernia surgeries and 1 oral surgery. Payed nothing. Basically probaly around 150,000 dollars worth of medical coverage I have had in 3 years for free.

If you live on post you don't get the housing money. But in housing on post you don't have to pay water, electric, gas, sewer, trash pickup, or for mantinance. It is all free. My fridge or dishwasher broke I called and it was fixed within 24 hours. It has good points and bad ones. Oh you don't get the housing or food money if you aren't married either cuz you gotta eat in the chow hall and live in the barracks.

Hope that helps.

So tell me if I'm reading this right: an E1-A (opening enlisting position I imagine) gets only $50.00/month while on sea duty? Thats a whopping $600 a year. I mean, given, he is serving on a ship where everything is taken care, but good god.

Just look at the first chart titled BASIC PAY. Everything else is additional depending on your duty.

Sea duty, hazardous duty, BAH, and BAS are in addition to your regular pay.

So folks on ship or in a hazardous area, they get additional pay every two weeks.

Also, pay is scaled by marriage and kids, so married people get more money and people with kids get more depending on how many.

In a lot of cases, child care on bases is free, or very cheap, which is very helpful.

The military has it's good points, but it would not work for the whole of the US.

Originally posted by KrazyJethro
Sea duty, hazardous duty, BAH, and BAS are in addition to your regular pay.

I feel the need to clear up a few things, so bear with me:

Sea Duty, paid only if you are attached to a ship. There are certain cases where you will get extra money for shore tours, but that depends on the length of tour and the location.

BAH is paid out to all sailors E-5 and above, unless you are married. E-4 and below sailors are expected to live on the ship, if they want to live out in town they must pay for it themselves.

Hazardous duty is paid per month, and the only requirement is that you spend at least one day of that month in a hazardous area.

So folks on ship or in a hazardous area, they get additional pay every two weeks.

Yes, that is called sea pay, only it is per month.

Also, pay is scaled by marriage and kids, so married people get more money and people with kids get more depending on how many.


True, but that only affects the BAH and BAS rate, the base pay remains the same.

In a lot of cases, child care on bases is free, or very cheap, which is very helpful.

True, and the is also the commisaries. They are like grocery stores for military members, where they get special prices on everyday items.

excuse me, once a month.

I've been out about 4 years. I'm losing some of the specifics.

I think I'm getting old.

I just got of the Army and I had tons of drugs pumped into me. Innoculous stuff like yearly flu shots, typhoid, etc. to small pox (before I went to Iraq) and Anthrax. The thing about the Anthrax was that the Army stopped giving it to soldiers because, well, I'm sure you all know the various theories about that. But since I started my shots, I had to continue them until the series were complete, even though the Army banned them! But to get back on topic, when I was in Iraq, the ACTIVE duty guys were allowed to leave, but the RESERVES were being involuntarily extended. You would think it would be the other way around. I met so many reserves who could not wait to get out! They have been to Afganistan, now Iraq, all the time thier friends have graduated college and have good jobs. I know they signed on the dotted line and all, but some of those reserve guys (and gals) are getting screwed. I'm in the inactive ready-reserve, and when I was leaving Bragg, everyone said expect a letter in the mail in 3 to 4 months with orders back to Iraq. It's been three months, no letter yet! And unless someone signs for that letter, I'm not opening it!