Subject: Washington Times, denouncing the pay
raise(s) coming
I find this Airman's response to the Washington Times
it should be printed
in all newspapers across America. Especially now when
the President is
calling up more Reserves and National Guardsman. Get
this response out to
everyone you know. It's time the Jane Fonda's & Shaun
Penn's of this country
wise up and support the troops that defend them.
Noel Pritzl
1st Vice President USDR
Military pay article
On 12 Nov, Ms Cindy Williams (from Laverne and Shirley
TV show) wrote a
piece for the Washington Times, denouncing the pay
raise(s) coming
servicemembers' way this year -- citing that the
stated 13% wage was more
than they deserve.
A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article
below. He ought to get
a bonus for this!
"Ms Williams:
I just had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our
GIs 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
5,000-host computer
network. I am involved with infrastructure segments,
specifically with Cisco
Systems equipment. A quick check 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, this 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 Subsistence (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 AFGHANISTAN, 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 full "deployment experience."
As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure
to note the spouses and
children who are saying good-bye 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
(meal-ready-to-eat) you manage to get for the tuna
noodle casserole or
cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything. This
gives some flavor.
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 KABUL, 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, Hill AFB AFNCC"
IF YOU AGREE, PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO AS MANY PEOPLE
AS POSSIBLE AND SHOW
OUR SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN FIGHTING MEN AND WOMEN.
THANK YOU.
THIS LETTER SHOULD BE APPLAUDED BY ANYONE WHO'S EVER
SERVED OR HAD A FAMILY
MEMBER SERVE IN THE ARMED FORCES! THIS YOUNG MAN
DESERVES A MEDAL!
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