Military Pay...

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I have seen this before and know it's quite old, but I've never seen it posted before so I thought I'd give it a go.

 Somebody has started to straighten some of these
thoughtless and ungrateful people out. And I am even more grateful that
it was someone serving in one of the branches of military.

Military paid too much ? You be the judge !
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.

On Nov. 12, Ms Cindy Williams (from
Laverne and Shirley TV show) wrote a piece for the Washington Times,
denouncing the pay raise coming service members' way this year --
citing that the stated 13% wage was more than they deserve.

A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article below. He ought to get a bonus for this.

"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 our 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 opined piece.

But, tomorrow from KABUL, 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

Edited by Heres To You - 01 September 2007 at 7:14pm