On 12 November 2001, Ms
Cindy Williams, a Professor at MIT, wrote
a piece for the Washington Post denouncing the pay raise(s) coming
service members' way this
year - citing that the stated 13% wage gap was bogus.
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 of 12 Nov, "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
leave and earnings statement (LES), I see that I make
$1,117.80, before taxes. After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run
that through Windows'
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 (AFNCC), where I am part of the
team responsible for the administration of 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, nor does it pay less than this. No, this job is being offered at
$70,000 to $80,000 per annum. I'm sure you can draw the obvious
conclusions.
Also, you tout increases
to Basic Allowance for Housing and Basic Allowance for
Subsistence (housing and food allowances, respectively) as being a
further boon to an already
overcompensated force. Again, I'm curious as to where
this money has gone, as BAH and BAS were both slashed 15% in the Hill
AFB area effective in
January 00.
Given the tenor of your
column, I would assume that you have 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 AFDC,
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 DOD 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 DFP (Defensive Fire
Position, the modern-day 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 op-ed 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