There must have been a “big” pay raise between 55 and 56 when I joined and went through Basic training. $78,00 per month was the pay for an airman basic at that time. Being from a farming community where I was glad to get work for $2.00 a day, The Air Force was a pretty good deal.
My dad would speak of getting $1.25 an hour as a carpenter helping to build an airport in a small town. That was in the 30’s and a lot of money then.
Now that I think about it — that $78/month does ring a bell.
Man, that was such a long time ago, and so much water has flown under that bridge.