As I recall, when I was a A/3c in the USAF in 1955, my take-to-the-barracks pay was $40/month. But I lived on base and ate in the chow hall and was able to put gas in my De Soto. I even had money left over to have a few “CC and Sevens” on the weekends in some dive in Panama City.
When I became A/1c, I was really living high on the hog.
Traveled in uniform at half price anywhere in the States and had many more privileges than the average GI has today. The general population liked us. Of course, this was all before the Vietnam War.
So glad I served under Ike.
I remember my when my Dad (T/Sgt at Luke AFB) making $90 per month.
He did everything he could do to bring in a few more bucks, i.e.; Fixing TV’s at home, working part-time as a bartender & playing poker. On top of that he was taking night classes at Tempe studying Herpetology.
Although he’s long gone, he’s still my favorite person...forever.
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.