Subject: Overpaid Military?

On 12 Jan, Ms. Cindy Williams wrote a piece for the Washington  Times
denouncing the pay raise(s) coming service members way this year citing
that the stated 13% wage gap was bogus. A young airman from Hill AFB
responds to her article below.... he ought to get a bonus for this....

Please pass this on to any one even remotely affiliated with the armed
services.  Having lived this life, I can vouch for this Airman's
experience.  Ms. Williams can keep on sitting back in her posh high rise
apartment (or her Tudor in the 'burbs), writing stories about things she
knows nothing about without doing an iota of research.  It makes her and
the Washington Times look foolish.  So what else is now? ~ Tam
 

Ms. Williams:  I just had the pleasure of reading your column of 12 Jan 00,
"Our GI's Earn Enough," and I am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where
this vaunted overpayment is going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears every month
between DFAS (The Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and my bank account.

Checking my latest leave and earnings statement (LES), I see that I make $1,117.80, before taxes.
After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through Windows' Calculator, I come up with
an annual salary of $13,413.60 before taxes, and $10,490.40 after. I work in the Air Force Network
Control Center (AFNCC), where I am part of the team responsible for the administration of a 25,000 host
computer network. I am involved with infrastructure management, specifically with Cisco Systems equipment.

A quick check of http://www.monster.com under jobs for Network Technicians in the
Washington, D.C. area reveals a position in my career field, requiring three years' experience with my job.
Amazingly, this job does NOT pay $13,413.60 a year, nor does it pay less than this.

No, his job is being offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum.
I'm sure you can draw the obvious conclusions.

Also, you tout increases to Basic Allowance for Housing and Basic Allowance for Sustenance
(housing and food allowances, respectively) as being a further boon to an already overcompensated force.
Again, I'm curious as to where this money has gone, as BAH and BAS were both slashed 15% in the
Hill AFB area effective in January 00.  Given the tenor of your column, I would assume that you have
never had the pleasure of serving your country in her armed forces.

Before you take it upon yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership for attempting
to get the families in the military's lowest pay brackets off AFDC, WIC, and food stamps. I suggest that
you join a group of deploying soldiers headed for Saudi - I leave the choice of service branch up to you.

Whatever choice you make, though, opt for the six month rotation: it will guarantee you the longest
possible time away from your family and friends, thus giving you the full "deployment experience."
As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure to note the spouses and children who are
saying goodbye to their loved ones. Also take care to note that several families are still unsure of
how they'll be able to make ends meet while the primary breadwinner is gone - obviously they've
been squandering the vast piles of cash the DOD has been giving them.

Try to deploy over a major holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are perennial favorites.
And when you're actually over there, sitting in a DFP (Defensive Fire Position, the modern day foxhole),
shivering against the cold desert night, and the flight sergeant tells you that there aren't enough people
on shift to relieve you for chow, remember this: trade whatever MRE you manage to get for the
tuna noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything.

Talk to your loved ones  as often as you are permitted; it won't nearly be long enough or often enough,
but take what you can get and be thankful for it. You may have picked up on the fact that I disagree
with most of the points you present in your op-ed piece.
But, tomorrow from Voltaire, I will defend to the death your right to say it.

You see, I am an American fighting man, a guarantor of your First Amendment rights and every other
right you cherish.  On a daily basis, my brother and sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people
like you can thumb your collective nose at us, all on a salary that is nothing short of pitiful and under
conditions that would make most people cringe. We hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private
sector because we can't offer the stability and pay of civilian companies.

And you, Ms. Williams, have the gall to say that we make more than we deserve?
Rubbish.

A1C Michael Bragg at Hill AFB AFNCC
DSN: 777-0743
COM: (801) 777-0743
FAX: (801) 777-7176