Comments on: Military Members Have it Too Good and Whine Too Much

By: GSK

GSK — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:54:30 +0000

Wow…what is he talking about the military is overpaid…I am a military spouse and a daughter of a csm who served in the army 30 years n just recently retired so I know what I’m talking about. You can’t put a price on missing your kids birthdays or holidays, their first step, their first words, and all the school plays and basketball games that they missed. I personally can count on one hand how many birthdays my father attended. They put their lives endanger and all so you can have freedom of speech to say they make too much money because they don’t have a piece of paper(a degree) to say that they are smart enough to deserve that money but these are the same people who are dying and jumping in front of those bullets for our freedom. Who are you to say that they make too much money. I don’t see you leaving your kids for a year at a time and you come back and they don’t know who you are. So until you spend some time in our shoes and not behind some desk typing on a computer about what our servicemen deserve…then maybe you could understand.

By: Terrie Young

Terrie Young — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:34:07 +0000

Wow, I am a Marine Spouse of 17 years, and proud of it!!!! Sounds like Tim Tom should sign up and join if he thinks the military has it so good. Get him some combat boots and ship him over to Afganistan/Iraq, maybe my husband will get a full year at home with his family. Since 2005 he has spent at least some part of every year to date in one of the those two nasty countries!!!! He’ll even get free uniforms and boots!!!!

By: christie

christie — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 02:22:38 +0000

All i can do is laugh at the fact that people think the military makes to much money,and to many beniies. I would love for some one to take a poll and see how many average people would leave there families for 15 months go to a war zone get shot at and bombed and possibly captured and if you get captured i dont even want to know what would happen. I dont think they serve you tea and cookies if they capture you. The living conditions in iraq and afganistan aint that comfy folks.I mean i could go on and on. So again i have to laugh at the mere mention that the military gets paid to much or to many bennies.Maybe this was an aprils fools joke it is truly the funniest thing i haveheard in my life. Get real if people think we make to much or get to much the have offices every where>all ya have to do is sign on the dotted line and raise your right hand and we would be more than willing to show you guys just what we military folks do to earn our pay. Its real easy to sit on the side lines and run that mouth which is one of the things the military protects your right to do by the way,so again come on down and sign up if you talk the talk why dont ya walk the walk.

By: Tamika

Tamika — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:27:06 +0000

Well said

By: Maribeth

Maribeth — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:07:29 +0000

I am a spouse of a military member. For anyone to say we make to much doesn’t have that many kids. WIC and food stamps is based on income and dependents nothing else. If we made so much money we would not be on these. I have even been told there should be a set number of children a military family should be allowed to have?! Military members receive the lowest amount of increase in pay. You only get a higher pay rate when you make rank. Its not that easy to make rank. Every year yes we get a increase. Guess what we got this year, a whopping 1.4%, lowest increase in over 45 years. When the cost of living everywhere is rising still. The programs are to make up for what we don’t get in pay.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:04:33 +0000

Try being a military member, spouse or dependent then you have a right to talk about pay.

By: aj2010

aj2010 — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 07:39:10 +0000

What on earth do you need two masters degrees for? I just finished my BA, and you know what i chose to get it in? A job I researched first – nothing I wanted to study. I’ve met a lot of people like you before. You live in school houses because you want to be there. Then when its over and you’re swamped in school debt and the degree you got is in liberal arts you complain. There are many opportunities out there and YOU can do better then that. There are plenty of jobs if you push hard enough, maybe relocate. Who needs two masters degrees? Even doctors don’t usually have two masters degrees – they usually go above that level. Get government work (so when you pay taxes you can feel like your paying yourself) they pay better then that and they don’t care about the title of your degree. Good luck with your job, just don’t hold it over other peoples head. They don’t care if you eat well or not.

By: Crystal

Crystal — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:35:50 +0000

As a 911 Vet and a current military spouse I don’t see those guys jumping for joy to walk a mile in my shoes. To each their own I guess. What most individuals don’t understand is these soldiers don’t do it for the pay or benefits which they so rightfully deserve. Yes, there are some individuals who’s elevator does not go to the top floor, but they are the most dedicated and hard working field soldiers out there. So I would much rather a guy that that knows how to keep his weapon from jamming than an individual that knows Shakespeare cover down for me. On the flip side there are those soldiers who are well rounded and choose this life due to the passion to serve. I guess the selfish one’s just would not understand what it is like to have that kind of bond with people or understand what it is like to be a true mentor.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:15:04 +0000

$14 an hour with two masters degrees? Well, I wouldn’t quite say you are overpaid, but it’s getting close. That is awfully generous of our tax payers.

By: Hank

Hank — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:12:28 +0000

Ryan,

Great post and great response. I just wanted to add a few things.

Promotion and subsequent compensation is based on responsibility. My 1SG has been in 20 years and while he may not have a Bachelors Degree, he is responsible for 105 Paratroopers and $11 million worth of government equipment thanks to the tax payers. He is responsible for a lot and is paid for that responsibility!

Also, as a company commander I routinely get up at 0400 to get to work at 0500 and often do not get home until 1800 or 1900 at night. So, if you just say that I work a 12 hour day with base pay and benefits (not including health) for argument’s sake, I earn about $14 per hour in total compensation. Now, that doesn’t include the three deployments (26 months worth) when I was working 24/7, where I’m down to $7 per hour then. Not bad for a guy with two Masters Degrees!