thisnumbersdisconnected
New Member
I didn't say they didn't. However, the level of pay has more to do with military personnel needing food stamp assistance than money mismanagement.
The following example illustrates monthly pay and how that pay is taxed for an E-3 with a family, when deployed to Afghanistan from his/her duty station at Ft. Riley, Kansas:
In garrison: $1,585.50 basic pay + $254.46 BAS + $903 BAH = $2,742.96 total (as you know, only BAS and BAH are tax-free)
Deployed to Afghanistan: $1,585.50 basic pay + $254.46 BAS + $903 BAH + $250 Family Separation Allowance + $225 Imminent Danger Pay + $100 Hardship Duty Pay + $105 temporary duty per diem for incidental expenses = $3,422.96 (all tax-free).
That's not even another $800 for the wife to manage all family expenses with while her husband's away, and taxes are still withheld on the $1,585.50. If the GI has taken all exemptions -- and most don't -- he's still only getting $1,315.97 a month, plus BAS and BAH. Sure her food bill goes down, but she wasn't getting enough to feed a family of four with in the first place, was she? Try feeding, clothing and entertaining a family of four, or even three, on #3,400 a month? Used to sound like a lot. It ain't much nowadays.
I'm well aware of those issues. The gambling problem is affecting about 10% of our combat vets today, and that's about three times the general population rate. It's the same old thing, PTSD, and the VA is denying treatment to a whole new crop of vets.
As to the rest, I used to have similar incidents of pilots in my units, particularly the check-writing issue you described. Nonetheless, out of 60 pilots and 180 crewmen in a helicopter assault unit, there were seldom more than three or four. Sure, there could've been more who wouldn't share their problem with their CO. But not that many more. It isn't a money-wasting issue, Salt. It's a money-shortage issue, and they're trying to make it worse.
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