Looks like the retirement pay is getting a wee bit better, Sir.
I retired as an E-7 in ‘96 at age 41. My gross retirement pay is right at $20.5K per year.
Thank you for your service, HiJinx.
It's a bit higher only because of COLAs elevating active duty pay.
We both know that the COLA 1% that Paul Ryan is stealing would be part of the amount that veterans us to pay for survivor benefits (SBP) that is subtracted from their pay, so their spouses, who actually provided critical service during deployments, will not be destitute but will have some portion of that retirement pay in their old age. We know that a soldier worried about the home front is in danger of dying on the war front. That's why NCO wives (most often) were critical in counseling and family support during deployments. There is a thin line between the front line and the home front.