Military Deserves Increased Pay Essay, Research Paper

MILITARY DESERVES INCREASED PAY

Today s armed forces do more by five am than anyone in the world. Military deserves increased pay because we do more with less, especially during time of war. I am a veteran. I am currently in the United States Navy. I am on call twenty- four hours a day, and seven days a week, including holidays without holiday pay. Today I will share with you some of the reasons why military should receive increased pay.

Our men and women of the armed forces are struggling to survive on military pay. Statistics from the Navy Web Link show that we have millions of sailors that qualify for food stamps and WIC, especially the E1 through E6 Rank and some E7 ranks depending on how many children are in the home.

When you are in the military, you are never stabled. You do not stay in one place. This usually causes financial hardship. But the military will tell you that you family did not come in your sea bag!

Statistics from the Navy Times show that the Navy alone is undermanned by 45,000 personnel. If pay is not increased, more sailors will leave the military because the economy on the outside pays more and you work less.

Society says that the military do not deserve increased pay because of military benefits such as medical, housing, education, bonuses, and retirement. Let s look at military pay. My rank is less than minimum wage. For example, 2010.00 divided by average 30days=67 divided by 24hrs=2.79. This is less than minimum wage by law. Let s look at medical. Yes, the hospitals are free, but the lines are very long and if you are in a car accident, the money received by the navy lawyer does not go to the sailor, it goes to the navy hospital for better medical equipment. And also because a person is in the military, they can not sue for malpractice if something should go wrong. Education is there, but not everyone can go because you are very mobile and spend 75% of your career at sea. Yes, military housing is free, but the basic allowance for quarters that you don t receive is added on to your income at the end of the year, but it is known as non taxable income which keeps you from receiving big tax breaks.

Not everyone receive bonuses. I ve received a bonus only one time in my navy career. That was my first four years. I ve been in for thirteen, I do deserve another one.Yes, I can retire at the age of thirty eight, but I will only receive fifty percent of my base pay, that is only half retirement!

There is a solution to this problem. By congressional law give the armed forces minimum wage which is 5.75 and bonuses. This will make the military competitive with the civilian world and will give others a better incentive to stay in the military. Also retirement should be 100 percent. The military gives its life for its country, are away from their immediate families and protects all whether they are rich or poor. The navy times show that if the military pay was competitive with civilian pay, the military would not be undermanned and would not have problems getting people to join the military.

In conclusion, I have discussed the reasons why military deserves increased wages. If you take nothing else with you today, be sure to remember that the in order for a nation to be strong, it needs a strong military. There is no reason why our military should be treated like low, waged, illegal immigrants. Together we can vote for the next president that supports the military. Visualize yourself thousand of miles away from you family and worried about if they are receiving enough money and getting enough food. Military works 24hrs a day and 7 days a week for less than minimum wage. Remember, it s not just a job, it s an adventure, we aim high and be all that we can be, and most of all we are the proud and the few that deserve better pay!