My son, who is in the Army (stateside, not deployed yet), told me yesterday that they have been told that they may not get paid on the first of next month. He’s not too worried, cause he’s single and has plenty in his account to cover his meager bills. HOWEVER, he said that there are MANY other soldiers who have said if they don’t get paid, they aren’t showing up the next day.
Now I know bravado before the event can be bigger then what may really happen if such a thing happens, but he seemed quite sure the base would be quite empty if such a thing as non-pay happens. The point is, ALL military personel better get paid in a government shutdown or there will be some serious fallout!!!
On the Indian Frontier as well as other places, the Army sometimes ran weeks if not months behind in paying the troops.
Although they pissed and moaned, they were eventually paid.
If they went over the hill, however, the lack of pay defense held no water and they were disciplined accordingly.
Go AWOL or desert at your own peril.