Fortunately for me, my NCO's didn't eff around with "complicated." They got the job done, and looked out for their soldiers.
A 2nd Lieutenant now makes $42K a year? Damn, I made about $8K a year during my first two years, from '76-'78.
They got the job done, and looked out for their soldiers.
And for most, that’s the largest part of the job satisfaction.
On the 2LT pay, I was just sitting here having the same thought on my time, ‘78-’80. While 42K is not the lap of luxury by any means, it certainly seems pretty good for someone with a new BS degree, unless that degree was in STEM, anyway.
8,000 1966 dollars are worth 57,454 2013 dollars.
I was a 2nd Lt from 76 to 78 and although I made a little more (prior enlisted over 4) it was enough to be comfortable with a wife and new child. The other 2Lts in my squadron were also comfortable, not rich, but comfortable. $42K today is at best middle-class.
Would you have wanted to take a pay cut back then? Would that have made up for all of the training time and long hours? I was putting in 70 hrs a week on the average during that time and the redeeming aspect of it all was that my family was safe and not on food stamps.
Anyone out there who thinks that cutting the pay of the Marines or any of the services is acceptable and will be welcomed is full of crap. You don’t get full faith and allegiance for next to nothing and ignoring the fact that the cost of just living is being pushed out of reach by this National Socialist Democrat dictator. This is not WWII and even then at $50 a month, it was as much as many were making a month before being drafted.