If I were starting out again as a young ensign, newly commissioned, with a wife and sea duty I'd be bringing home about $40,000 per year. How much more would you pay me?
As for the 18 year old fresh out of boot camp, he's an E-2 making around $18,000 per year with his food, housing, and medical taken care of. What entry level civilian job is going to do better than that?
That was the poop that the Air Force fed me when I was a young E-2. At that time - 1992 - I was making about $11,000 per year. I can tell you that I would have happily given up the barracks and the chow hall (excuse me, dining facility) for an extra $10k per year.
By the time I was an E-4 I was making a whole $14k per year. My "pay visibility statement" told me I was making $29k. Pffffftttt!
Cops. Firemen. And surely our military should be paid better than first responders.
If nothing else enlisted pay should be tax free.
An E-2 fresh out of boot camp would make around 17,500 but that is before taxes so he would probably end up with a grand a month. Not a small amount, but that tax free could really help out especially since ten or twenty percent of their pay is going to TSP as well.
If you cruch numbers, pay is not too far off.
Examples (based on Hill AFB, UT, 2007 rates)
New (married) officer w/BS degree:
29,631.60 + 11,710.44 (bah/bas) + 3,279 (tax savings) = 44,621 + 1,859 (extra 2 weeks vacation) + 1,820 (insurance premiums) + 1,000 (co-pays & Rx) = $49,300/yr...reasonable
New (single) airman with a HS diploma:
15,616 + 10,474 + 2933 + 2419 (4 extra weeks vacation) + 1,170 (ins.) + 700 (copays) = $33,312/yr..pretty dang good
These numbers progress relatively decent with rank, but higher ranks/experience levels are generally a bit behind their civilian counterparts.
The BIG difference is in a combat zone, where it really counts.
In a combat zone military personell receive an increase in pay far less than the increase their civilian counterpart would see if they went to the same area. Also, the civilian has the valuable asset of control over when and where they go. The civilian will not likely put up with a year separated from their family (e.g. Korea) right after (or worse, right before) their child is born.