doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com WOUNDED WARRIOR PAWNS HIS PURPLE HEARTS O/T

Jerry, my friend, at $87.00 a month, all laws about "minumum liability insurance", regardless of whether it was a military post regulation or a "state civilian law" as you describe it, were impossible to comply with. And, as industrious young soldiers, we did not comply. End of story. No, I owned a bunch of cars, I just couldn't afford to insure them on $87.00, minus deductions.

Eightbore, wasn't much better for the jr officers either. We started at $222mo, Had to chip in $25 for the officers club even though we couldn't afford to use the dreary place, had a requirement to provide all our own uniforms which exceeded half a year's pay initially, and there was no option of not owning a car. The Battalion Commander ordered monthly officer's parties which took another $25 plus or minus per month. And don't forget every payday there was some charity we had to support 100 participation and also $18.50 for the mandatory voluntary purchase of a Savings Bond. I remember thinking I was rich after getting the fogey for 2 years time in service, promotion to 1st Lt and going on Parachute pay almost simultaneously. Wife and kid to support too. Wife had to leave her job as a nurse to accompany me and she was earning more than I was. I stayed broke for 27 years of service, only got some money after retirement. But it was a heck of a fun ride most of the time because the company was a lot better than we saw among the "sillyvilians" who really seemed to lack any overarching higher purpose to their work.

RHD nails it! I spent a few years, enlisted at good ole Ft Bragg in the late 1990s. The young enlisted personnel were the worst at personal finances. I didn't dabble in the all weekend binge drinking fests and strip club crawl on the weekends after payday but I knew plenty of younger soldiers who did. They were always flat broke. A lot did not grow out of their bad habits when they rose into the junior NCO ranks.

I have also seen young enlisted soldiers just spend their money frivolously without care, racking up major credit card debt on crap they really could live without.

I would want to find out more about this soldier's predicament and how he got there in the first place before jumping on the bandwagon and offer my sympathy for his current situation that he finds himself in.

I think a lot depended on where you were and what year. I went in in 1963 and I believe the pay was $78 a month and I had a $50 savings bond ($37.50) taken out of that. even as a kid I was very frugal and saved my money.

I was very lucky, for 2 1/2 years I was stationed in a very small German town where what little money I had went a long ways. If memory serves me correctly a beer in town was about $.20. Cars were completely out of the question but were never needed. Public transportation could take me anywhere in Europe for very little money.

Jerry, thanks for the insight into Commissioned Officers' life. Michael, one of my commanding officers let me in on a little secret about savings bonds. We could "participate" in the bond program for as little as $6.25 a month, dividing the $18.75 fee for the $25.00 bond into three monthly contributions. On returning from a several day unauthorized leave, I was called to Captain Hamner's office for a consultation. He informed me that, after a period of days that I had exceeded, unauthorized leave turns to desertion. He further informed me that I was his sole holdout in the company savings bond program. I immediately asked him where I should sign. That is when he informed me of the minimum participation level of $6.25 a month.

After OCS in 1967, I ended up as a Company Commander and Depot Commander of an ammo depot in Korea. After sending almost all of my pay home to my new bride, I was really strapped, but fortunately, the C.O. several turns before me managed to twist the pay regs and got the officers entitled to EOD pay (we weren't EOD certified, but did spend a day or two each month blowing up hazardous, obsolete ammo)

Had one E4 who managed his money very well. Never went to the local cat houses on payday - he would wait until about the 25th of the month. The price of love was about 10% of payday love. He also did a bit of loansharking. I have no idea what ever became of him, but I'll be he became a success.

Or be walking around with a limp from a set of broken kneecaps- I love to play poker- 7 card stud- but stayed away from the crap games, still won't touch dice today unless I'm playing Monopoly.
Lotsa sharks preying on soldiers and Marines--I enlisted in 1960 and was Hon. Discharged in 1970-- two 4 year hitches plus the NCo extensions after the Tet FUBAR occured- I had EOD at CourtHouse bay- Lejeune-USMC Engr. School- and aced it- loved to drop trees in those chigger infested swamps with a girdle of C-4 primed with Det Cord--possibly due to my experiences as a lad with farmers- blowing out stumps and large rocks with a stick of "DuPont persuasion" and into a crevice packed with nitrogen fertilizer damped with kerosene- Ka-Boom--

I have read all the posts here- My personal take on this- This soldier earned two Purple Hearts- that is telling to me- he wasn't some REMF or 'sick-bay commando" and I will always allow extra "slack' for any combat decorated soldier, sailor, airman or Marine- Just my thoughts!!

Bill,

They never had to force me to sign up I signed up for $50 bond when I joined. As I made more money I saved more money. If you talk to a lot of other folks who were there at the same time you would get a different story. Many of them were "US" and away from their home, wives and children and not very happy about it.

I was a kid on my first big adventure and enjoyed my time there. Hindsight is always 20-20 and I did some dumb things, probably should not of told the battalion commander, when he was yelling at me, that I might see things his way if I set behind a desk all day

YES!!!!

In my many years in the military, I found that those
who stayed On the base, in military housing, and did
not venture into the towns and surrounding areas were
miserable. Those who got out and did things were very happy.

Mike

Great comment, Mike, and true. I had a great time and met great people. I feel bad for those who don't know what they missed.