Military Pay

Source:  A friend

(This Cindy  Williams is NOT the "Laverne & Shirley" Cindy Williams.  She
 is a Assistant  Director for national Security in the Congressional  Budget
 Office)

Military  Pay

This is an Airman's response  to Cindy Williams' editorial piece in  the
Washington Times about  MILITARY PAY; it should be printed in  all
newspapers across  America.

Ms. Cindy Williams wrote a  piece for the Washington Times, denouncing  the
pay raise(s) coming service  members' way this year citing that she  stated
13% wage increase 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 earnings  statement I see that I make $1,117.80  before
taxes per month. After  taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run  that
through the 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 where I am part of  the
team  responsible  for 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.

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

Given the tenor of your  column, I would assume that you 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 of 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
government  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
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  opened 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 YOUR SUPPORT OF THE  AMERICAN FIGHTING MEN AND WOMEN.

THANK  YOU