NSR: military pay in the 60's

[Stig / Major Tom]

Found an old folder of my Army records - which included copies of my pay records.
Before being sent to Vietnam my wife and I (because, as a dependent - she was figured into my wage)
You're paid by rank, and years holding that rank...and maybe "time in service".
As an E-4 (enlisted, 4 up from the bottom)
I received  $369.35 a month, which included "dependent" allotment $90 to keep the wife alive for a month)
I was promoted quickly in Vietnam to E-5, (a $19 pay raise) ...and the Army added $16 for "foreign service", $65 for "hostile fire pay", and wife's allotment went up some,  but since I was back living with the Army - the subsistance allowance fell away.. War zone service is tax free. So - was paid $463.45.
I was paid $36 in military payment certificates (MPC's) and had the remainder sent to my wife.
MPC's were changed frequently to defeat black marketing and drug dealers. (at the exchange table - "you don't get paid this much. Where'd it come from?")

My old Black 1st Sgt. said to me one time, as he watched the sun setting, "Well Doc, there goes another Buck.85 into the bank."
That wasn't much of an exaggeration.
Well, as they say - we weren't in it for the money😊
Stig

[Stig / Major Tom]

ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THE DRAFT:

If you were drafted out of a job - your old employer had to give you back your old job - with the added 2 years seniority you'd lost and with any pay raises which had occurred during your 2 yr absence.
You had 90 days to report back to your job - the Selective Service had notified your old employer of your release from the service.

Now, if you ran off to Canada, Sweden or to the UK (Clinton), or used a note from your heel spur doctor (Trump) or used your congressman father's clout to get you into the Texas Air National Guard (Bush)....or skipped over to the Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force recruiters or if you were able to get into the now jam packed reserves*
  ......then you also were not eligible for any of the great "job saved" Selective Service benefits

*Why was getting into the reserves a good thing? - because the reserves were never sent to Vietnam. ..a move which would have been much too unpopular with the country.
Shame that.

Stig

[john grinsel]

I was in the military in the '50's, 60's, 70's----lived in barracks 12 years---always hated the extra money married people made.

[scooterfan]

Well I was involved in the South African / Namibian / Angola “Bush War” during the 70’s and 80’s.
Not because I wanted to be involved - simply because military service was compulsory in our country and we were fighting communism.
I’ve never been “miltary oriertated”  - but I have no regrets in getting involved during those years.
We simply had to do what was needed to do during that time.

P.S. The military pay was an absolute bonus - compensating for being away from home when our children were small.