Why should an Air Force Lt Col who was a finance officer (for example) ‘in the rear with the gear’ make the same in retirement as a USMC LtCol infantry officer? Speaking of a “living wage,” I ‘d recommend a serious plus-up in the retirement pay of our senior enlisted personnel (especially those in combat arms[AKA: Trigger-Pullers]).
Rank and years of service are no longer (if ever) the only considerations that retirement pay should be based on. I would think military occupational specialty (M.O.S. – in other words, your job) should be part of the bargain.
Hate to tell you this, but in my opinion, this is just one more way that the taxpayers are getting screwed. This is definitely not the worst offense against the taxpayer; but with our modern way of making war, (you know, unlimited ice cream and chilly AC for the many) shouldn’t the grunts and various other ‘trigger pullers’ be rewarded at the end of their careers for a job well done at least a bit more than the REMFs?
Sure Veterans’ groups will scream bloody murder, but I would love to hear them try justify the current system.
Semper Fi
ST UnWoked & UnVaxxed! 
“…shouldn’t the grunts and various other ‘trigger pullers’ be rewarded at the end of their careers for a job well done at least a bit more than the REMFs?”
Yes!
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Not just yes, but hell’s bells, yes, sir….and the more beat-up and worn-out you are, the more you should be able to draw.
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“…and the more beat-up and worn-out you are, the more you should be able to draw.”
That’s the measuring stick I’ve been looking for. Thnx d’Dude.
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De nada from d’Dude.
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It pisses me off that officers who never picked up a rifle and backpack, whose biggest risk was another severe paper cut get twice as much monthly pension than Gunny Hernandez who did back to back tours in Iraq. He volunteered for the second tour over his wife’s vehement protests because the incoming unit had lost their Weapons Platoon Sergeant and Gunny jumped into the breach to lead those young Devil Dogs he did not know and had not trained (with).
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Gunny Hernandez rocks! And yes, he deserves a lot more than Air Force finance officers. And Air Force finance officers ought to be the first ones in line to say that. The fact that they aren’t speaks volumes.
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There is a Navy Reservist on L2 sucking long and hard on that teat too!
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That is something like 14 months in almost non-stop combat. Anyone remember Ramadi I & II and/or Fallujah I & II?
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I remember Ramadi and Fallujah, especially Fallujah, but I don’t remember the details. I am pretty sure that the reason for “II” in both cases is that in both cases, the territories were won and secured, and then the politicians let them go and they had to be won and secured again.
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You, Judy, are a quick study.
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Yup, reading Col. Milburn’s book refreshed my memory about both – and added to my learning.
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Please, Miss D’Nanda, share your refreshed memories with the rest of the class.
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I’ve felt like a stiff, yet wet, noodle this whole day; so, by your leave, I’ll say something tomorrow. (With the caveat that it will have no tactical or strategic content, as that’s not my bailiwick.)
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Doesn’t even have to have operational content, at least as far as I am concerned. Maybe d’Ettes disagree?
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Whew! I’m relieved….
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For some reason or the other I’m thinking no one is looking for tactical expertise from you as it pertains to military operations in urban terrain (MOUT).
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Glad to hear it! Will drop something after the weekly WT mtg.
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“Please, Miss D’Nanda, share your refreshed memories with the rest of the class.”
“Will drop something after the weekly WT mtg.”
Here you go, ST and all: I’m piggy-backing a bit on JaC’s horror/disgust at the very idea that there *had* to be a Fallujah II, and adding in my own anger and frustration at rules of engagement (ROE) administered at levels too far behind the lines – and too far up the chain of command {can the d’Dude/Chaps use REMFs?) – that paid no attention to real-time input from commanders on the ground. I’m thinking of Col. Milburn writing about a mosque known to shelter enemy fighters; and the up-chain insistence that it be preserved, despite the presence of a sniper’s nest in its minaret, which necessitated fire teams entering it to take out the sniper(s), and/or be killed themselves. (The only option officially open to Col. Milburn at the time.)
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” Hate to tell you this, but in my opinion, this is just one more way that the taxpayers are getting screwed. ”
That’s an understatement! Love spending my hard-earned dollars on “welfare queens” as Reagan so aptly put it, irresponsible non-military spending at the Pentagon, entitlement programs that have far surpassed what healthy, physically able people contributed into the system and… the list goes on.
I want my dollars diverted to something that helps both the military and the country.
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“I want my dollars diverted to something that helps both the military and the country.”
This should be the rule of the day but it is not. Although it may waste less than other Federal agencies there is still a ton of fat in the DOD that should be gotten rid of, in particular Omega’s Senior Executive Service* (SES) cadre of stay behind ‘generals.’ The problem is everybody thinks if we cut dollars from the DOD that our grunts will be deprived of beans, bullets, and band-aids. Let me break something down for you, our grunts have been getting screwed since at least as far back as Valley Forge. It is not a bug but a feature of our military to scream about taking care of our ground pounders while doing absolutely nothing for them. The grunts are already squeezed. Reducing the Pentagon’s budget won’t hurt them (much).
On the other hand, far too many people and companies continue to make fortunes through DOD contracting. There is pure fat aplenty there that could be cut but never is. The DOD may be the best at spending yet Pentagon fat cats keep getting fatter and our grunts still do not have a decent pair of government-issued (GI) boots.
A decent movie called “War Dogs”** shows just a fraction of the DOD’s fraud, waste, and abuse of your tax dollars.
*https://stpaulresearch.com/2019/10/31/obamas-secret-stay-behind-army/
**https://screenrant.com/war-dogs-movie-true-story-packouz-diveroli/
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Simon, I know you harbor some resentment for REMFs but I would remind you they are critical to our military success as well.
Remember: Patton, Ridgway, Eisenhower, Petraeus (scandal aside) were REMFs and I doubt any of us would have survived without them. Great strategists and leaders are every bit as important in executing the other aspects of military combat with which you and your troops were engaged.
And don’t forget, these officers paid their dues as well.
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Liz, please do not bring facts and logic into my two-minutes of hate. Yes we need REMFs. I just think we need a retirement system that is more fair, particularly to our senior enlisted combat arms guys who do most of the toe-to-toe fighting.
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“Liz, please do not bring facts and logic into my two-minutes of hate.”
Ok then, ask me to stop breathing!
Few disagree with a better retirement plan for the enlisted but this country seems to have chosen to spend their money on ne’er-do-wells.
You and I are in total agreement.
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