Originally Posted by kodiak06
Originally Posted by Groundhawg
Originally Posted by BowtechDan
Originally Posted by globe
Anybody thought about how such a wage hike will impact military recruits?
Lots of young kids join the military because it’s a decent wage and a free type of skills training.
15.00 an hour is more than a private makes I’m sure.


I looked at the 2021 military pay scale and starting at E-1, they get 1700/month. Figure after 2 years or so, you are an E-3 and the base pay is about 2200 / month. Divide that by 176 hours /month (average civilian hours) and they are making about 12.50 / hr. Now when you figure in food and housing allowances, medical, and such, the E-3 is doing much better. Plus there's so much potential to keep going up the ladder. You're not climbing the ladder flipping burgers (normally). Minimum wage should probably be set by the state and maybe even tuned down to locality, but not nationwide.


The first promotion from PV1 to PV2 occurs after six months of service. The second promotion from Private PV2 to Private First Class or PFC occurs after 12 months of total military service and at least four months as a Private PV2.

I think your hours of 176 per month is low. You have over night duties as well as watch standing. I spent the night every 4 days when I was an E2 and E3, and duty differed after that but you stood some type of duty as a collateral basically.


I generalized my post on this subject IRT to hours per month (average/normally), and promotion times (an associates degree comes in as an E-3 after basic, etc). Anyone who has served can get on here and share the "fall-on-their-sword" stories. After 20 years of aircraft maintenance, I have mine! grin I didn't post this for the aldeer lawyers! And once in awhile, you fall in for roll call and head home.

Nathan Carl Goff 19 Sept 2016 - 14 Jan 2017.