[Skooz]

The fact that military personnel are make so little that they may qualify for food stamps and WIC is obscene.

[gcruse]

"The fact that military personnel are make so little that they may qualify for food stamps and WIC is obscene."

Not really. What's obscene is that a 19 year-old E-3 thinks he'll earn enough money in the early days of military service to pay for having a wife and possibly children. It doesn't work that way.

[fireforeffect]

The problem is that E-1 through E-4 pay is not designed to support a family. Never was.

When that accusation first started I remember the soldiers interviewed. E-3 with a wife and 3 children. Living off post in a trailer park. Can not remember the post (Knox or Beginning). Was married before enlisting.

Looked pretty bad. Until you found out the details.

Soldier was receiving the housing allowance and his wife worked. Where did his money go? He had debts before he enlisted and wrecked (his fault, minimum insurance) his new sports car before the second payment.

A friend of mine enlisted to pay off his student loans. His wife moved in with her parents and he lived in the barracks until they could get on post housing. Army paid for their children, including a lot of medical for the first one which was premature. Drove a Chevy POS that was 10 years old. Paid off all his loans in his first tour.

What I am trying to say is that most of these "EMs on food stamps" stories are not the military's fault. Maybe the EM's officer or Sergeant were not taking care of the troops. But most of the sob stories I heard were the soldiers doing, not the Army's.