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6disc_cdchanger t1_j3z6zr5 wrote

Reply to comment by Sir-Kevly in Amid recruiting crisis, Army makes new companies for recruits who don't meet academic, fitness standards by GaryOaksAlcoholism

$40k? More like $20k for a junior enlisted service member

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Manawski_ t1_j410zbm wrote

Base pay, sure. If they're calculating in BAS/BAH, then 40k isn't far off.

If it were a true apples-to-apples like some fresh out of high school retail worker making 23k was going up against our hypothetical E-1 buddy to rent an apartment off-base (highly improbable that an E-1 ends up off-base but let's just play the game here), the E-1 is going to all of the sudden have a whole lot of tax-free BAH money to pay rent where the civilian can go kick rocks.

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Paladoc t1_j41cvph wrote

In a nigh infinitesimal number of cases would BAH/BAS be approved for an E-1, but you can calculate like a third of that rate, as they do get fed and housed, just sometimes in 24 man bays or 4-6 man rooms.

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monogreenforthewin t1_j41wdak wrote

just sometimes in 24 man bays or 4-6 man rooms.

that's really only in training or deployment scenarios. stateside, i never had more than two soldiers to a room in the barracks.

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Paladoc t1_j44nq9q wrote

Yep, why I said sometimes. Someone shouldn't be an E1 for that long post boot

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[deleted] t1_j3zbh2a wrote

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[deleted] t1_j3zcfdu wrote

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PMMEYOURCOOLDRAWINGS t1_j3zcxdh wrote

You can make more hourly at a Wendy’s. My god.

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[deleted] t1_j3zeowi wrote

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I_Have_Run_Amok t1_j3zhxvo wrote

Exactly. With the exception of snacks, cell phone, and internet you can get away with no other recurring expenses. If you're smart you can put away a decent amount of money.

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usedTP t1_j4057tq wrote

We had an E5 who got out with $20k 30 years ago. He lived like a monk and only bought toiletries.

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[deleted] t1_j3zewp7 wrote

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dingos8mybaby2 t1_j3zg69j wrote

Well you technically don't have to if you are fine with doing some time in a military prison, possibly a handful of years. I doubt that refusal to deploy or desertion would be met with execution in today's world unless it's during an invasion of the U.S. or something else very dire.

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6disc_cdchanger t1_j3zcgoe wrote

https://www.goarmy.com/benefits/while-you-serve/money-pay.html

I’ve been out for a decade, so I was a little off. $21,999 annually for E-1 (private)

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PMMEYOURCOOLDRAWINGS t1_j3zcrrg wrote

Man that number needs to be higher. No wonder they are having an enlistment problem. I had a national guard guy try to convince me to enlist in the officer corps after meeting him at a blood drive I was working at. Then I noticed him asking everyone lol.

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bad-autocorrect-bot t1_j40kbx2 wrote

Im barely surviving, and i make more than that, why the fuck would anyone want to do that?? Seriously, we dedicate hundreds of billions to our military and they dont even pay a living wage...

Are other branches any better?

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Manawski_ t1_j40x6sk wrote

What is your amount for a "living wage" when the following are provided:

1.) Housing (Either housing on base or tax-free Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH))

2.) Food (Either on-base food or tax-free Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS))

3.) Healthcare (100% coverage free of charge)

4.) GI Bill

5.) Pension plan

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Hammerpamf t1_j411guz wrote

People are forgetting all of this. I was stationed at Ft. Carson. The average monthly rent in Colorado Springs is $1500, monthly health insurance premium $370, food for 1 $300.

That's 24k a year in benefits without considering the GI bill. Some states, like Illinois, will also pay for 4 years of tuition/fees to CC and state schools. Illinois does this with the IVG (Illinois veterans grant).

My 4 years of service was well worth it.

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Paladoc t1_j41d2r0 wrote

Texas has Hazelwood, you enter as a Texas resident, you get 120 hours of college at public schools covered, in addition to GI Bill

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IntincrRecipe t1_j40o2g1 wrote

No, pay is standardized across all branches. The usual rebuttal that leadership and the DoD as a whole gives is along the lines of “WeLl YoU gEt BeNeFiTs On ToP oF tHaT lIkE hOuSiNg, MeDiCaL, aNd DeNtAl, So StOp CoMpLaInInG.”

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No-Entertainer-2862 t1_j40o345 wrote

Coast Guard here and most of my friends and family have some military affiliation.bthe other branches are no better. Thankfully the medical benefits and housing helps a lot so there is a lot of variance depending on a lot of factors.

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Hammerpamf t1_j411ng8 wrote

Because you don't have to pay for rent, health insurance, food, or college?

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SteveHeist t1_j40nhw3 wrote

Probably not. Federal job, federal minimum wage.

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